Blazin' Fiddles
Album: Six
Label: Blazin'
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.blazinfiddles.com

The Blazers have returned with a brand new album, "Six", and what an album it is. The Scottish fiddle group, Blazin' Fiddles are Bruce MacGregor, Allan Henderson, Iain MacFarlane, Jenna Reid, Angus Lyon and Anna Massie.

The album kicks off with a cracking set of reels, the first being a James Hill tune and the last two being Shetland tunes, one of which is an original composition by Shetland's representative in the band, Jenna Reid. The next track happens to be one of my favourites. It's a set of Cape Breton Strathspeys and Reels that are played with tremendous bounce but with a great sense of neatness, meaning that the melody isn't lost.

If someone was to ask me how good the fiddle playing on this album was, I would answer them with a track number, Track 9. For me, this is truly Scottish Fiddle playing at its best. Four brilliant tunes, played at a relaxed speed with impeccably placed ornamentation. Of course, I could go on for ages and ages about how incredible the fiddle playing is on this album, but then again, would you expect anything less from Blazin' Fiddles? However, all this immensely great playing is complimented by the accompaniment of Angus Lyon and Anna Massie.

Track 4 is a set comprising of a Slow Reel by Mairitin O'Connor which I first heard on his album, Crossroads, a Liz Carroll jig and finishing on Quebecois reel. In the introduction, Angus Lyon uses a sound that is reminiscent of a Fender Rhodes which works very effectively. The second tune is seasoned with some amazing flat picking from Anna Massie and then straight into the third. As some of you may be aware, this is the last album that will be recorded with this line up.

Over the course of Celtic Connections this year, the changes to the band's line up were revealed. Allan Henderson and Iain MacFarlane have decided to leave and shall be replaced with two past recipients of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year award, Rua MacMillan and Kristan Harvey. I very much look forward to hearing the next instalment of Blazin' Fiddles history when this new line up records, but for now, we have this gem to listen to.

Matthew Tighe