Review of Dark Pearls

On BBC Radio Scotland's Travelling Folk with Archie Fisher, Pete Heywood, Brian McNeill and Sandy Brechin.

ARCHIE: ...She’s been in and out of different combinations, do you think she’s found her best level now?

PETE: ...It’s hard to say what anybody’s best level is, I think all the things she does are good. She did Chantan, and that didn’t last overly long. Here, she’s coming down to something that she can do in folk clubs. I’ve been in love with Lord Gregory as a song for a long time - this is the shortest version of this ballad you can get... Somebody listening would have to dig to find out what the whole of the ballad is. But, it’s really well done.

A: ...The album of course, isn’t all totally unaccompanied - it was bold to start with an a cappella track, wasn’t it?

P: ...Yes, probably the opposite of what a lot of people would have done. The next track comes in with hardly any gap, almost segues into the next track. I think the two tracks go well together. The first time I heard the album I’d chosen the two tracks for here before I’d got to the end of track 2, which made me think, "well, hang on, it’s the sign of a good album when you immediately say, I want to play that one, and I want to play that one - so... Impressed!

(first track plays: The King’s Shillin’ by Iain Sinclair)

A: ...The King’s Shillin' being taken by Pete Heywood as a chosen track from the new Christine Kydd album. That’s the Iain Sinclair song written way back in the Seventies.

P: ...Yes, great song!

A: ...And nice voice texture behind with Lorraine Jordan.

P: ...Yes... another great voice, and they really worked it well together.

A: ...Does the album have a flow that draws you into it?

P: ...Yes, there’s more traditional in the first few tracks then you get a bit of East coast swing.

A: ...Yes, they all revert to that eventually - The Easy Club’s got a lot to answer for!

P: ...I was listening to voice influences, you can hear a lot of Gordeanna McCulloch in there, various influences, she just comes over really, really well. As I say, the whole album I enjoyed. One track left out it would have been stronger, but that’s not a personal criticism. Any criticism anywhere was more in taste rather than quality. I’m not a great fan of East Coast swing always, but with this next track my brain was saying "you shouldn’t like this, Pete Heywood", but it was actually saying, "but I do". When it becomes a vocal texture - you’ll see how it finishes off. I think she got a good balance of trad and contemporary treatments.

A: ...I see what you mean! Is this something that comes out of Edinburgh?

P: ...Ewan McColl did Dirty Old Town with a similar feel to the Easy Club - it's just the wheel turning round!

A: ...Overview - depth , strengths, weaknesses?

P: ...Whole album is more of a traditional feel. There’s some lovely unaccompanied singing on it.

Brian McNeill: ...I think I agree with Peter, it’s a very worthwhile album. I think the unaccompanied track I heard there, I liked a great deal. I think her voice is superb. It’s like buses, several of them come along at the same time. We’ve just had this great album from Elspeth Cowie. Christine’s voice, I think she’s a great interpreter of song. With traditional song it’s a reading of that song. It’s great to hear someone who can do that stuff as confidently.

Sandy Brechin: ...It’s a lovely album, I can always tell if it’s Christine singing. I think she’s got a unique voice - it’s beautiful stuff, it’s nice to hear albums that are very sparse like that. Solo singer, it’s hard to do, no accompaniment, and it comes off well.

P: ...There’s a smile in the voice at certain times - you know she’s going for it.

back to features