Shona Donaldson
Short Nichts And Lang Kisses
(Deveron Arts)
Following a spell as musician-in-residence with the Deveron Arts project in her native Huntly, folk singer Shona Donaldson has crafted an album whose songs seep out of the history and landscape of the Aberdeenshire town. Although Donaldson has reworked old bothy ballads from the eight-volume Greig-Duncan Collection, this isn’t an archivist exercise in the style of Alan Lomax or Ewan MacColl, but a collection of living, breathing songs, many with new tunes. Donaldson’s voice, one of the most beguiling in contemporary Scottish folk music, here embraces the local dialect and inflections, capturing the carefree spirit of a girl about to swap Huntly for the big, wide world in the unaccompanied The Rovin’ Ploughboy or caressing the minor notes on top of minimal touches of fiddle and piano in the spare and atmospheric Cald Blaws The Wind. Yes, it’s a musical map of a specific area but one that’s beautifully illustrated and a pleasure to pore over, regardless of where you call home. Available from www.deveron-arts.com
Alan Morrison
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