North Atlantic Trio
Album: Some Part Of Something
Label: Bird Creek
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.northatlantictrio.com

If we're going to continue to invent terms for musical fusions then can I put forward moorgrass to describe the sounds and songs of North Atlantic Trio. The clue to this three piece really does lie in the band's name, an American, Cheyenne Brown, an Irishman, Dave Boyd and a Scot, Dave Currie forming this particular and all bring their musical influences, though not necessarily in the order you might think. (Yes I was tempted to use the walk into a bar line)

Of the three I was more familiar with the work of harpist, Cheyenne Brown, but even that hadn't really prepared me for the blend of bluegrass and Celtic influences, brought together on this collection of songs and tunes, with the songs imparticular taking on a real spiritual, gospel feel.

That said for me, one of the real standout features of "Some Part Of Something" for me is the shear quality of both the instrumentation and the arrangements. This really is an album that you can lose yourself in and it's well worth making that effort, drawing the curtains, shutting yourself off from the world and letting North Atlantic Trio take you away from it all.

Some of the songs on the album will be familiar to you from regular appearances on folk albums, sometimes on their own and sometimes included as part of a set of tunes. In many ways that familiarity, "Wayfaring Stranger", "The Cuckoo/Whisky Before Breakfast" and "Sally In The Garden" gives you a yardstick against which North Atlantic Trio can be judged. They certainly don't come up wanting, just don't forget to check out "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz."

Neil King