Celtic Connections
Eddi Reader & Kris Drever, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Stuart Morrison
Five Stars
KRIS Drever and his three piece band, kicked this off with the lively, The Call and the Answer and immediately, it was clear why this guy is one of the hottest properties in traditional music. Great songs, great playing and as Eddi Reader later observed, 'a hottie'.
Eddi Reader, it is fair to say, has been a regular performer at this Festival. The doyen, it could be said, of Celtic Connections. But there is a valid reason for this. She is, consistently, excellent. And whilst each year sees a widening of the definition of both 'Celtic' and 'Connections', Reader has always epitomised what the festival was about. Backed by her own eight piece band and augmented by the Scottish Festival Strings, she was able to deliver a superbly judged set. Opening with Burns' Green Grow the Rashes, she promised to 'cut the chat and sing more songs', a promise that she fulfilled. Sail Baby Sail, about her children leaving home, was a cafe jazz-inflected treat. Light Is In the Horizon Yet, a new song reflecting on the events of 2014, was followed by Charlie is My Darling, which started the heads nodding, before Karen Matheson was introduced for Leezie Lindsay. The strings were quite magnificent and featured in the evening's finest moments. She sang John Anderson My Jo, accompanied by the strings only and the effect was magical. However, it was her encores, after a suitably boisterous You're Welcome Willie Stewart which caused maximum impact. She gave a beautiful reading of Henri Mancini's Moon River, before finishing with the Tannahill Weavers' version of Auld Lang Syne, at first a cappella, before being joined by the strings. It was, simply, stunning.
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