Yours Truly
Though the music of Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster remains rooted in her native Cape Breton, it continues to branch in some surprising directions. No purist, MacMaster employs an aggressive guitar and rhythm section, along with mini-Moog and electric pipes on "Matt & Nat's," while the jazzy intro to the "Flea as a Bird" medley seems to channel the style of Stephane Grappelli. Guest vocalist Michael McDonald gives the traditional "Danny Boy" a soulful, somber twist, and "Farewell to Peter" offers an instrumental elegy to Peter Jennings, MacMaster's late friend and countryman. Yet uptempo instrumentals dominate, as the opening "Volcanic Jig" builds to an eruption worthy of its title, "David's Jig" employs her step dancing as percussion, and her flamboyant virtuosity through much of the music finds her rarely settling for one note where she can squeeze in three or four.--Don McLeese