Published on Oct 1, 1999
The return of fiddler Natalie MacMaster to the recording studio
was greatly anticipated, given her growing fanbase in both Canada
and the United States. MacMaster, one of the new generation Cape
Bretoner/Celtic artists, has already recieved acclaim and awards
for her past recording, including a Juno award for best
instrumental recording for her 1998 CD,
My Roots Are Showing. MacMaster’s new release,
In My Hands, doesn’t disappoint; a powerful piece of work,
it shows her continued development both as a voice for the
traditional Scottish music of Canada’s Cape Breton region, and as
an artist who’s not afraid to take some risks.
Cape Breton’s unique and somewhat isolated culture has produced
several young musicians of note, including MacMaster, fiddler
Ashley MacIsaac, and family vocalists The Rankins. The area’s
fiddle playing is unique, an intermixture of the Highlands area of
Scotland and two hundred years of Canadian development. MacMaster’s
music is partially the traditional of her uncle, Cape Breton legend
Buddy MacMaster, and partially… well, put it this way; the
opening track, “In My Hands”, is a spoken vocal from MacMaster, a
funky bass backbeat, heavily overdubbed female background vocals,
and a virtuoso arrangement of the traditional tune “The Drunken
Landlady.” Authentic? No. Traditional? No. Amusing? Hell, yes.
This sets the tone for the entire CD. For every traditional
fiddle arrangement, such as “Welcome To The Trossachs,” the
hard-driving “Gramma,” or “The Farewell,” there are departures,
chances taken, risks ventured. MacMaster dips into Spanish
influences with the brass-laced “Flamenco Fling,” drifts off into
synthesizer-laden ambient music on “Space Ceilidh,” and blisters
the speakers in her fiddle duet with Nashville legend Mark O’Connor
on “Olympic Reel.” There seems to be no trail MacMaster is afraid
of blazing; she gives a brief nod to everything but heavy metal on
this album, apparently content to leave that to genre mate
MacIsaac.
The crowning jewel of this work, though, is the brilliantly
executed and flawlessly paired duet with American bluegrass
vocalist Alison Krauss, “Get Me Through December.” Krauss’ voice is
poignant and filled with a crystalline emotional clarity, and
matches perfectly with MacMaster’s simple, expressive fiddle.
Before this work, the two Rounder stars had never met, but their
musical compatibility is immediate and breathtaking. Let’s hope it
happens again.
In My Hands is a creative, joyful, and magnificent piece of
work from one of the brightest stars of Celtic music to come along
in a long time. Perhaps her roots were showing on the last CD, but
In My Hands is a roadmap straight through the branches into
the open sky.