THE QUIGGS - Wings Of Gold
Lowland Recordings LOWLAND021
Stephen Quigg will be best known for his decade as a member of the McCalmans, and that connection continues as Ian McCalman is named as the producer here, as well as contributing piano and bass to a few of the tracks.
This album shows that Stephen is still able to provide very satisfying listening. Both he and his wife are fine singers, with Pernille having a particularly arresting voice. The accompaniments are just that; enhancing rather than intruding on the singers. The word that comes to mind to give the overall feeling is that it is grounded. These two talented performers have clearly given a lot of thought and care in choosing and programming the whole.
It was a brave move to tackle Si Kahn’s What You Do With What You’ve Got when the Dick Gaughan version is so well-known, but their unison singing to Stephen’s rumbling, rattling bodhrán brings a skilful as well as a totally different emphasis and mood. They also do great justice to a couple of traditional favourites - The Broom Of The Cowdenknowes and The Shearing’s No For You.
There should be a lot of interest developed by the five songs written by Pernille, all of which have well-crafted melodies. Two are sung in her native Danish, and the excellent title track makes a really gripping opener. At the other end of the album there is a live track with her Lullaby segueing into Malvina Reynolds’ Turn Around and a rapturous response from their audience which, on the evidence of this album, they richly deserve.
www.thequiggs.com
Vic Smith
This review appeared in Issue 137 of The Living Tradition magazine