Made in Cape Breton
When blind blues guitarist Jeff Healey was getting started years ago, pundits accused him of using his sightlessness--and the resultant oddball playing style--as a gimmick. That was lame even by tabloid standards, but Healey, knowing he was in it for the long haul, shrugged it off and went on to... well, star opposite Patrick Swayze, but never mind that. The point is, Healey looked at the big picture. The Cottars ought to do the same. Comprised of two multi-instrumentalist, singing, stepdancing brother-sister teams, the quartet, under the stewardship of much-loved tenor John McDermott, have produced a fine collection of traditional highlands folk delivered in English and Gaelic. Of course, much of the focus is on the group's youth--they're teens--and their rare familial makeup. But one views the surface at their peril. Music is like breathing in Cape Breton, so it's not surprising that the four play their own instruments and play them very well. In fact, the Cottars' deep appreciation of this music is palpable; you can feel it in the way they hew so close to tradition. And if they haven't quite nailed the haunting, alone-in-the-mist vibe inherent to the best Celtic music, it's nothing a failed driving test and a few broken hearts can't fix by the next record.--Kim Hughes