Published on Jul 26, 1999
I’m not sure what precisely to
call Margaret Davis’ music. The back of the CD
Princess Of Flowers says ‘file under Celtic World Music’,
but that’s not quite right. Davis is attached to the northern
California filk music scene, but this isn’t filk, either. She
doesn’t call it anything at all, merely dedicating the CD to ‘my
fellow seekers of magic and the fantastic’. Let’s call it
‘Celtic/Medieval retro’ and be done with it. It’s not the most
accessible musical form in the world, but what the heck; if
accessibility was required for stuff we review on “The Daily
Vault,” Chris Thelen’s death metal collection would be gathering
dust.
That said, this is an
excellent piece of work. Davis is a brilliant harp player
and an ethereal vocalist, somewhat similar to Loreena McKennitt but
without McKennitt’s gothic-angst overtones, and Kristoph Klover
provides solid instrumental support throughout, whether it be
guitar, 12-string, bass, mandola, or backing vocals. Guest
musicians like Kris Yenney, Shira Kammen, and David Miles add to
the fun. It’s not for everyone – 14th century medieval troubadour
and traditional Scots ballads are an acquired taste – but for those
it is for, Celtic music fans and closet SCA members alike, this is
well done.
Standout tracks include the opening “Princess Of Flowers”
(with its soaring vocal intro and sweet harp line, this could have
a dance beat laid behind it and be played for trance music – and
anyone who would try that should be beaten with a sackbut); the
spectacular recorder line of “I Once Loved A Lad”; the chiming,
haunting wire-strung harp of “Tha Mi Sigth”; the brilliant
instrumentation of “Chanson De La Mariee”; and the excellent
adaption of the Scottish “The Boatman”.
There are very few miscues on this CD. I wasn’t overly fond of
“Thrice Toss These Oaken Ashes”, but that was more stylistic than
anything else; it wasn’t anything Davis did, it was the song
itself. In all, Davis should be proud of this work. It’s a CD where
the artist herself and her musicians didn’t do
anything wrong, and very few people can say that. If you
like this genre of music, get yourself a copy of Margaret Davis’
Princess Of Flowers. You won’t regret it.