Iain MacDonald
Album: Colour Of Dreams
Label: Tin Tambourine
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.birnamcdshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=138#.UUXSLVc5wwk

Isle-of-Lewis-born singer-songwriter Iain released a couple of albums on Greentrax (Beneath Still Waters and This Land Once Was Free, both produced by Dick Gaughan) just over 20 years ago, then retired from touring in the early '90s. Shortly after he'd decided to return to music in 2010, however, he suffered a double brain haemorrhage, and only after a lengthy recovery period has he this past year or so been able to get back down to writing and recording again. Colour Of Dreams, the product of this latest round of activity, also advertises Iain's return to live performance.

It's a collection of nine new songs which run the gamut from personal memoir (the slightly self-conscious Fragments Of My Past), the impact of religious belief (Hope That He Sees Me) and deep loss (21st February 2010), through to political biography (Frank Collier The Preacher Man, on The "Real Deal"). John O'Groats is a rambling reminiscence of wistful beauty and the disc's title song embodies an almost innocent expression of love that for some reason reminded me of Donovan, while the Celtic-folk vibe is strongest on the rollicking Band Of Gypsies (dedicated to Mike Scott). Disc closer The Missing Years is another song to benefit greatly from a rustic-folk-style accompaniment (here prominently featuring Iain's banjitar in addition to fiddle and clarsach) - indeed, this poignant personal lament might well be considered an album standout.

Memorable quality of the songwriting notwithstanding, part of the reason the album sounds as good as it does is the interest generated by the capable and ingenious musical backdrops, which feature some fine musicians including Louise Mackenzie (fiddle), Vivienne Tegg (clarsach), Steve Ransome (keyboards), Ivor Walker (basses) and John Marshall (mandolin). The Fyvie Church Choir also appear on two of the songs, one of which (Soulmate) has a rather twee, over-chirpy chorus which sits uneasily with the mood of the remainder of the disc.

Generally speaking, Iain's songs display a fortitude and inner strength which is impressive, and his confidence is unshakable, but it must be said that this attribute can sometimes lead him into over-indulgence which manifests itself in a tendency for songs to go on too long, using maybe a verse or two too many to draw out their sentiments. In certain moods I found this trait more tiresome than others, although it's not to be counted a major-league weakness in the overall scheme of things on this appealingly honest CD.

David Kidman