Album Reviews – John Roman (Gabriola Radio)


Drumlin

Album – Mackerel Skies

This group of maritime siblings are accomplished instrumentalists beyond their years and this

first time offering catches you right out of the gate. Mackerel Skies, has not gone unnoticed by too

many, as they were judged as 2008 nominees at both the East Coast Music Awards and the Canadian

Folk Music Awards as one of the top new folk groups on the market today.

In the English folk revival of the 1960’s Martin Carthy used the notebooks of folksong collector/

singer Percy Grainger to pad his song lists: here, the Drumlin song bank is inspired throught the

Nova Scotia Heritage Songs compiled by Helen Creighton, one of Canada’s best know folklorists.

Traditional chanties and modern edge interpretations blend well together over the twelve tracks.

Mackerel Skies doesn’t bring them alongside Canadian Celtic veterans like the Rankins or Barra McNeil’s

but maybe inches closer to the early Cottar recordings.

Drumlin is comprised of four siblings who play acoustic guitar, cello, piano and tin whistle while

occasionally employing the services of acclaimed fiddle master, J.P. Cormier.

An added treat is the album booklet which houses the words and histories of these Heritage songs

and the splendid tales of yore they weave. New songs for the fine tuned ears of Celtic listeners.

John Roman

Gabriola Radio

Anna Acevedo Lyman

Album – Sway ( Quien Sera)

Anna Lyman is a Jazz singer and her music on this disc will ” Sway” between jazz, salsa,

and bossa nova genres. Here she employs some top sessionmen in Daryl Jahnke, Bill Coon

(guitars), Rich Kilburn (bass), and Buff Allen, Dan Bruebeck ( drums). Dan is the son of Jazz icon, Dave Bruebeck, of “Take Five” fame.

This Vancouver Island University ( Nanaimo) music major has a four octave voice that is

well suited to the Latin material. This her second album has some retro jazz standards and

others, like these two, that were penned by herself. The song, Lighter, is light and airy, with a soothing lounge feel.

The second track, Island Man, is a great fit for our Gulf Island region with its sail for the

weekend and just nice to be on the water message. This album is alot of fun and will have you dancing around the room before you know it.

John Roman

Gabriola Radio