FreelandBarbour
Album: The Music And The Land
Label: Birlinn
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.freelandbarbour.co.uk

If I'm completely honest, when this CD first landed on my doormat I thought I would be reviewing the output of at least a duo, rather than a solo performer. As is turns out, Freeland Barbour is a respected Scottish composer, instrumentalist and accordion designer who, although he was Edinburgh born, is based in the Heart of the Highlands of Scotland, not far from Pitlochry.

The Music And The Land is the latest release from Freeland Barbour and is rather unusual in that it is intended as an accompaniment to a two volume book of the same name consisting of all Freeland's compositions. The book itself sounds rather splendid, being a collection of Freeland's scores, landscape photographs by Cailan McLean and Freeland's own reminiscences about his music and the landscapes that have inspired him.

The album opener, Lamplight, conjures up warm and cosy images of a highland home welcoming weary travellers on a winter's night. From there, The Music And a The Land takes us through the Highlands and Islands to North America with the Cajun feel of the tune Cape Ann belying the real cape's New England location.

From the United States we head back across the Atlantic for a brief stop in Ireland before heading for Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, finishing up back in the Highlands and Islands.

Some of the tunes are familiar, others not so, for instance closing a set called The Sea is one called Can You Dance The Polka, perhaps better known as the tune for New York Girls but one thing they all have in common is the ability to bring scenes to life, whether it's evoking a community coming together for a ceilidh, as in The Western Isles Set, the peace of a remote valley in Harden Glen, or even a frustrated twitcher seeking out a rare Shetland visitor in The Ornithologist.

Even though The Music And The Land was an enjoyable listen and there is no denying the quality of the musicianship and arrangements on it, I found there was something lacking in the listening experience. Even though the CD is available separately, the fact that it was produced with the express intention of accompanying a book, to me, not having said book to refer to detracts from the whole experience as intended by the author & publishers.

There is no doubt that Freeland Barbour is one of the foremost composers and performers of Scottish traditional music working today but if you are looking for an introduction to his work I suspect there are other, better, stand alone CDs available. If, however, you are looking for an authoritative book of his work with an associated CD to illustrate the book's contents, then The Music And The Land is probably for you.

David Chamberlain