Smithfield Fair
Burns Night Out!
Stevenson (2002)
http://www.smithfieldfair.com

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Smithfield Fair is a champion in the underrepresented field of domestic Scottish music. Their sound is original and unmistakable but not unusual and though contemporary, they emphasizes heritage. They perform a lochload of Robert Burns songs on Burns Night Out!, named for the great celebrations of Burns birthday amongst Scots populations.

I've always liked Smithfield Fair best when they do traditional music...maybe because I like traditional music best...so this album is a joy to hear. In this case it would be silly to try and beat the Burns songs with modern compositions! The trio swap the songs around; new amongst the gang is native Scot Tom Murray, who reads selected lines as a prologue to some songs. The songs are backed most visibly...or rather audibly...by almost archaic piano accordion and rapid contemporary rhythm frets; if you are lucky you will hear The Pipes. The effect is sort of like the past and present of Scotland joined together. If you're bound to Shooglenifty, they will sound a bit retro, but Smithfield Fair is good at what they do, with nae a dry eye in the face of the Highlands.

The quality of songs varies according to what Burns wrote and collected, so the favourites here will sound best! Smithfield fortunately has not dodged the rich chestnuts, which begin with the album as "A Man's A Man For 'A That" in hearty Dudley-Bryan Smith vocals. My favourites are perky and nationalistic. Best perhaps is "Parcel Of Rogues in a Nation," also sung by Dudley-Brian, though not as forceful as some versions. Au contraire, "Scots What Hae"is a driving rousing all-acoustic call to hearts, if not arms. "I Hae A Wife O My Ain" is another quick-step winner, and is a little more contemporary in sound.

Jan Smith's voice is interesting, though not delicate. From it you could imagine this woman splitting the skull of an English invader via claymore without a flinch. I particularly enjoy hearing "Tae the Weavers Gin Ye Go," both the vocals and the cute trick where her accordion sounds like a bagpipe. The fantasy windchime effect is nice on "John Anderson, My Jo," as is the fantasy voice...how can a woman become young again so quickly?

The little narrations are an interesting touch and Burns Night Out! will prove a cozy album for enthusiasts of traditional Scottish culture.

gennett at gorge dot net

The Columbia Gypsy