Happy Daze
Even though the Battlefield Band has gone through numerous personnel changes since it formed in 1969, the constant infusion of new talent has helped maintain the group's reputation as one of the most innovative in Scottish folk music. The incarnation of the band onHappy Dazeincludes keyboardistAlan Reid, the only remaining founding member;John McCusker, who is one of the finest young fiddlers in the Celtic world; Mike Katz, a piper who is equally skilled on the Highland bagpipes and the more intimate smallpipes; and singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, who is the first woman to be a full-time member since Jenny Clark left in 1978. The addition of Polwart expands the band's musical range, but more importantly on tracks such as the haunting murder ballad "The Banks of Red Roses" and the sly tale of a lost amorous opportunity "Shepherd Lad," she adds a new emotional depth as well. The instrumental selections are as strong as ever, and the interplay of McCusker's fiddle and Katz's pipes and whistles sets a standard that is rarely reached in contemporary Celtic music.Happy Dazeranks among the best recordings from the Battlefield Band, which makes it one of the finest examples of modern Scottish folk music.--Michael Simmons