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Folk, roots, Celtic.

Shannon, Solon and Jeremiah have been making music together for most of their lives and it really shows! They blend together Celtic music, Canadian folk, and sounds from all over the world, including jazz, global rhythms, and funky grooves. An important thread in their musical fabric is improvisation, and you can tell from listening to Thread The Light that they are well accustomed to playing together and can read each other’s musical minds with ease. Definitely a clear case of musical telepathy!

This self-produced album is their sixth, and it is a cracker! It opens with “The Lily of the West,” a traditional ballad, which is sung by Jeremiah. It is a classic tale of seduction and betrayal and features lovely tight vocal harmonies between Jeremiah and Shannon.

Next up is a pair of original tunes written by Shannon: “The Telegraph Reel” followed by “the Three Sisters.” Jeremiah and Shannon play the sinewy melody on whistle and fiddle with funky backing from the rhythm section, bossed by Solon’s robust bass line. The transition between the two tunes sees the band going from a Celtic influenced reel into something that sounds more Middle Eastern – and which totally rocks.

Another song, “Peggy O,” is sung again by Jeremiah, with a propulsive marching beat behind it. It tells a tale of love gone bad and warns about the dangers of romancing with someone in military service.

This is followed by “Gaelic Waltz Part One,” which features Jeremiah on low whistle. It’s a sweet tune with a very mournful feel.

“Gaelic Waltz Part Two” is next and starts with a neat drum fill, which kicks off an insistent beat that drives along the tune. Shannon’s fiddle is tied in with Jeremiah’s whistle on the melody.

Another song follows, this time with Shannon on lead vocal. “Gardener’s Child” tells the tale of a gardener who falls in love with the lady of the manor. He offers her all sorts of floral delights, but she gives him short shrift, wishes him ill and sends him on his way. It’s a tragic tale alright and the band give it a perfect setting.

“Honoloco” follows next, an original tune by Jeremiah. After a melodic opening on Jeremiah’s whistle, the song settles into a characteristically rhythmic McDades groove, with Shannon’s fiddle joining Jeremiah on the melody. It’s a treat to listen to Solon, as usual, holding down the bottom end of the track and Andy’s dextrous rhythm guitar keeping the pot simmering nicely. Halfway through that tune comes one of my favourite parts of the album, when a series of rhythmic shots gradually slow down until they get into tempo for the second half, which lopes along with a kind of hybrid reggae groove, with a distinct world beat flavour to it.

“Dance Around the Spinning Wheel” is another traditional song featuring Jeremiah on lead vocals and he’s joined on close sibling harmonies by Shannon on the choruses. This is a love song where our protagonist is wooing and, hopefully, wowing, Peg O’Neill as they dance around together. The arrangement is typically intricate, but flows naturally and has some really great instrumental playing from the whole band.

Next up, we have a set of tunes written by Shannon, “Miri’s Reel/The Foolie/The Onlies’ Reel.” The opening tune is a jaunty reel that gets your feet moving and makes you want to dance. “The Foolie” continues with that feel and features some tasteful guitar picking from Andy Hillhouse, with Shannon’s fiddle once again to the fore. The last tune continues in this Celtic vein with a high energy tune that rounds things off nicely – at which point I’m sure the dancers will need a breather!

Jeremiah then steps up to sing “Roving Gambler,” another traditional song that tells an unusual story in which the roving gambler actually gets the girl. That hardly ever happens in folk music! In this case, surprisingly enough, she’s attracted to him rather than other men with more traditional ways of earning a living. I guess sometimes the gamble pays off. It even got me thinking about taking up poker!

“Sky Trails” is an ethereal song, with lovely vocal harmonies – reminiscent of its writer, folk-rock legend David Crosby. He penned it with singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, and it’s a beauty. It describes the disoriented, surreal feeling of life on the road. A highlight here is Jeremiah’s plaintive soprano saxophone playing that tugs at the heart strings.

So there you have it, another winner from The McDades. In looking for a way to conclude this review, I was searching for the right words to sum up what you will experience when you listen to Thread The Light. Then I came upon this quote from the band themselves, which does the job admirably.

“This album is the sound of three siblings weaving together a lifetime of shared music, memories, and influences into something deeply personal and completely our own.”

Tracks:
1. The Lily of the West (traditional)
2. Telegraph Reel/The Three Sisters (S. Johnson)
3. Peggy - O (traditional)
4. Gaelic Waltz Part 1 (traditional)
5. Gaelic Waltz Part 2 (traditional)
6. Gardener’s Child (traditional)
7. Honoloco (J. McDade)
8. Dance Around the Spinning Wheel (traditional)
9. Miri’s Reel/The Foolie/The Onlies’ Reel (S. Johnson)
10. Roving Gambler (traditional)
11. Sky Trails (D. Crosby, B. Stevens)

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUDEWEDxwsk