Now playing: Matt & Shannon Heaton: Blue Skies Above

It’s spring in many parts of the world, autumn in others. Those times of change, of moving from one season to another, make me think of the album Blue Skies Above, by Boston based musicians Matt and Shannon Heaton. Life, death, bicycles, redwoods, reels, jigs, and harvest time are all here, along with lots of other good stuff. They offer a fine mix of tunes and songs, traditional and original stuff. The breadth of Shannon’s flute and the depth of Matt’s guitar make for melodies that draw you right in on tunes like The Shady Spot and The Reel of Rio. Of the songs, Harvest Time, inspired by Shannon thinking about her great-grandparents' love story, and Giant of the Road, about the fun of riding a bike, are especially fine originals, carrying on Celtic style melody and tradition in modern day stories. That tradition is revisited and revised a bit in the song from which the title phrase comes. It is called If I Were a Blackbird, and if you’re thinking of the rather staid renditions this tune is often given, well, think again. And listen again. Matt and Shannon Heaton's web site Learn about Matt and Shannon's album Lovers' Well

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