David Grubb
Album: High Rise
Label: Shake 'Um' Dud
Tracks: 8
Website: http://www.davidgrubb.co.uk/

"High Rise" has actually been out a couple of months or so, but there appears to be a new push on the album as a copy came through the office only recently and whoever took the decision to put this back on the roundabout needs congratulating, because I think it passed a number of people by and it definitely deserves a listen a consideration. Some of you may recognise the name David Grubb from the Fiddle Tune A Day project that he was involved with.

David Grubb is a fiddle player and composer who hails from Fife, but went to do a classical music degree at the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama, at which point I guess it became a violin : Joking aside, one of the things that gives "High Rise" is that distinction of classical discipline overlaid with a folk fluidity.

As you've probably guessed by now, "High Rise" is predominantly an instrumental album, though there is voice used on the album, "Milestone", even here it is used as an instrument to provide harmonics rather than to convey lyrics. For the most part the album comprises of individual songs, though it does sign off with two extended sets of tunes.

Whilst there are a number of musicians on the album, the core settles around David(fiddle, viola, mandolin), Corben Lee(piano) and guitarist Daniel Whitting, all three of whom had a hand in the arrangements, with Grubb providing all the composition and production.

The music is definitely Scottish in flavour and feels significantly more soundtrack than ceilidh. It feels more like a golden eagle swooping over the countryside, or an old steam train making magnificent progress rather than dance tunes, though I also found myself tapping along to a lot of the passages, always a good sign.

David Grubb has delivered an invigorating album, that places it's self outside of the more traditional approaches to the genre and it makes "High Rise" an album that's well worth checking out.

Neil King