now playing: Julie Fowlis: Mar A Tha Mo Chridhe/As My Heart Is

Julie Fowlis
Mar a tha Mo Chridhe
As My Heart Is




Julie Fowlis grew up on the island of North Uist, in the Outer Hebrides in the far northwest of Scotland. That’s a fairly remote place, and it’s also one the few places remaining where Scots Gaelic is spoken as part of everyday life. That’s the language Fowlis sings in for this collection, and in her hands and heart and voice, it’s neither distant nor marginal. The lively stories stories she tells of lovers lost, found, disunited and reunited, sailors on the seas on the people they leave behind, cross the boundaries of meaning and melody to make their essences clear. There are ballads, there is fast paced traditional mouth music, and there are two sets of jigs and reels which show off Fowlis’ skill as an instrumentalist too, as on these she plays the whistle.

Backing up the singer are talented musicians including John McCusker, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Eamon Doorley, and John Doyle, many of whom you’ve met or will meet here along the music road.

Until this now, you had to be rather persistent to track down Julie Fowlis’ music outside the UK, but as of this week she has US distribution for her CDs, and is planning a short US tour in September. Look for more about another of her recordings, Cuilidh,to come, and in future an interview and profile in the folk and world music magazine Dirty Linen.

Julie Fowlis tour schedule

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