Jacquelyn Hynes
Album: Silver And Wood
Label: Hobgoblin
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.jacquelynhynes.com/

One of the things I like about Celtic music and to an extent the traditional music scene of the English North East is the inclusion of woodwind, not just as a support instrument, but also as a lead dynamic, but then I married a flautist, which might make me slightly bias. Jacquelyn Hynes, is a flautist of reputation and it's just one of the many hyphens that are part of her makeup, composer-arranger-multi-instrumentalist-actress that she draws on across her new album, "Silver And Wood".

There is a real flow to the album, one that speaks of space and the great outdoors, one that captures a feeling of doing something because it feels right. I wasn't surprised to discover, for example, that there are parts of the album that were recorded as improvised passages, check out her flute playing in the almost nine minute epic cover of the previously familiar, "She Moves Through The Fair".

Hynes arrangements are one of the things that draw you into the album, the way that she reinterprets songs that have a familiarity and gives them a different spin, takes them well away from a feeling of straightforward cover versions, which is never a bad thing. In fairness, it doesn't always work first time. Her reworking of "Greensleeves" jarred the first couple of plays through the album, in fact I nearly skipped the track on the album play through where I finally got it, such is the fickle finger of fate.

The album is predominantly instrumental and in all honesty it's the instrumental pieces that are the real stars of the album, but sung and spoken parts are of a quality where you wouldn't throw them out of bed, regardless of whether it's Jacquelyn delivering the vocal or J. Eion, with that combination of male and female voice across the album enhancing that natural feel. Definitely worth checking out

Neil King