efn Reviews

“The Farthest Wave” Cathie Ryan
Shanachie Records SHANCD78062
From the opening chords of the first track What's Closest to the Heart you get a sense of dramatic tension that something good is just around the corner. Not in a dark way you understand - but buoyed by a feeling of restrained exuberance. John Doyle (guitar) and Kris Drever (tenor guitar) set up a driving layered rhythm that gets under the skin, paving the way for Cathie Ryan's beautiful vocals. Topped by John McCusker's fiddles and whistles, Ewan Vernal on double bass and Keith Angel's percussion this is how good "folk" music albums should be produced. There's a certain finesse and respect from musicians who are totally at one with the music they believe in and I'm pleased to report that nothing on this album oversteps the boundaries of good taste. Ryan's choice of songs shows a singer with an integrity and an understanding of the lyrics that comes from years of experience plying her trade. During this selection period she could have concentrated solely on her own compositions but appears quite at ease in utilising traditional songs (a carry-over from her days with Cherish the Ladies perhaps?) or songs by Karine Polwart (Follow the Heron) and John Spillane's The Wild Flowers. With a voice much suited to lullabies her soft, generous tones are particularly well matched on As The Evening Declines and the more established Home Sweet Home where Phil Cunningham's piano and accordion provide just the right accompaniment. For those striving to make their mark on the folk scene this recording is an object lesson in how to construct ensemble performances that don't override the narrative, only enhance it.

  Review By: Pete Fyfe
From efn issue 128 - September 2005
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