LINDSAY STRAW - My Mind From Love Being Free
Private Label
A voice! By turns husky and sultry, clear and bright, controlled and dreamy; with hints of Cara Dillon and Geraldine Hollett, Lindsay Straw’s beautiful voice shines out in this delightful debut album.
The combination of a youthful sound and 10 traditional songs - all arranged and performed by Lindsay - hearken back to more innocent times, of Greenwich Village and pure folk. She also designed the album sleeve and wrote the liner notes. Quite how a young American lady from Montana with no Celtic ancestry dedicated the best part of a decade to Scots-Irish traditional songs remains intriguing.
Two songs are sung a cappella - Lord Lovat and When I Was In My Prime. Pared-down accompaniment, provided by Lindsay on bouzouki or guitar, is entirely apt for the style of the other eight. Of these, Bonny Light Horseman and Lurgy Stream stand out, though all are sung with an authentic feeling for the material.
Lindsay offers an interesting slant on the folk process, paying tribute to Rita Gallagher, Lizzie Higgins and Jeannie Robertson. She acknowledges learning the songs from their albums (like so many of us) and then adapting them to her own culture.
My Mind From Love Being Free is a refreshing album of relaxing simplicity and light, ideal for summer! Lindsay’s obvious competence and the marvelous versatility of her voice will lead her to tackle a wider range of material in the future. There is much more to come from Lindsay Straw.
www.lindsaystraw.com
Jim McCourt
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this CD online from The Listening Post The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 109 of The Living Tradition magazine. |