MOORE & McGREGOR
Dream with Me
Ivernia Records
Dream with Me by Moore & McGregor – veteran musicians Wendy Moore (harp, oboe, English horn, pennywhistle, vocals) and Arthur McGregor (guitar, banjo,
bodhran, and most of the lead vocals) – is a marvelous debut album of songs and
tunes by a duo who have long worked together (often performing kids’
shows as the Celtic Rathskallions) that
includes superb original songs by Arthur, traditional Celtic tunes,
and several excellent songs drawn from other writers.
Arthur’s writing
is most impressive. The album opens with “The McGregors,” Arthur’s up tempo account
of his family’s emigration from Scotland to Canada when he was a small child
and his and the family’s embrace of their new home more than 60 years ago.
Arthur’s other
songs include “Back on the Farm,” co-written with producer Paul Mills, in which the narrator celebrates his return to the
family farm, and the farmer’s life, that he forsook as a young man for a
nomadic life; “Dream With Me,” a beautiful love song written for Wendy; and the
infectious “Dancing Shoes,” a toe-tapper that celebrates dancing and small town
life.
Wendy’s
contributions as an instrumentalist and occasional harmony vocalist are felt
throughout the album but she is at the forefront on “Path of the Paddle,” David Archibald’s lovely hymn to
canoeing on which she sings the lead vocal, and
the instrumental medley of “The South Wind/The Battle of Glencoe,” two beautiful
traditional tunes she plays on the harp.
The rest of the
album is equally strong but I particularly love their interpretation of Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick,”
a song that is a kind of off-centre prayer and affirmation; and their version
of “Summertime,” the Gershwin classic from “Porgy and Bess” set at the corner
of Folk, Blues and Jazz Streets. Wendy’s oboe playing on this track is
positively haunting.
In addition to
Wendy and Arthur, the only other musicians are Curly Boy Stubbs (Paul Mills) on guitar, mandolin and percussion
and David Woodhead, the always
inventive bassist. The arrangements and contributions of all the singers and
players always serve the best interests of the songs.
A gem of an album
to begin the new year.
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