Traditional

The latest CD release reviewed

MARGARET STEWART
Togaidh mì mo Sheòlta Greentrax ***

Women who sing in Scottish Gaelic are in the ascendent these days, with Julie Fowlis and Karen Matheson forging new ground. Margaret Stewart debuted as a guest vocalist with Allan Henderson as far back as 1976, and she's returned to the studio with a fine-boned corset of a collection, full of pristine arrangements bolstering her clean- as-a-whistle voice. An ode to the intensity of her Irish connections, and in particular, her links with Muiris Ó Rócháin of the Willie Clancy Summer School, Stewart melds the mildest- mannered murder ballads (A Phiuthrag 'S A Phiuthar/Little Sister, Oh Sister) with light-fingered celebrations of the joys of syllable play (Chidh An Dileag Ud Nam Cheann). Her arrangements tap into the expected (bagpipes, fiddle, guitar) and the utterly unexpected (chalameau, or pre-clarinet) with gleeful intent. www.margaretstewart.com

Download tracks: Feill Na Crann. Ò Thug 'Ad Bhuam Thu'

© 2008 The Irish Times