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DVDfever.co.uk – Catherine McLellan: Water In The Ground CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
True North Records
- Released: June 2009
- Rating: 8/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Rising Canadian star Catherine McLellan leaps forward with her country-folk-pop template. Good move.
To my ears, some of MacLellans sound owes much to Scottish band Fairground Attraction, though shes not in the same league, as a singer, as their ex-vocalist, the brilliant Eddi Reader. She has a very sweet voice, however, which is very versatile.
Third album Water In The Ground is a very good listen indeed, (nice dare I say it, too) full of warm and engaging songs which melt into each other, and some might even melt you, if youre a true romantic. Unfortunately, in pure commercial terms, there isnt a Perfect or Find My Love to rush in a serious pop element and give the album a radio-friendly leg-up, though much of the material is easy listening to the extent she hasnt sold out, retaining a clever rootsy-fusion-crossover feel at almost every level.
There are only three songs of notable pace, opener jazzed-up country shuffle (a la Fairground Attraction) Take a Break, about slogging in the field next to a lover, track 2 Water In The Ground a gorgeous song about a wander lusting young girl hoping her mate will be waiting for her return, and country-twister Not Much To Do, all of which are very catchy, guaranteed to get yer feet a tappin.
But, its the others, steeped in deeper Americana tradition like jolly Hotel Stairs (something compatriot KD Lang might have tackled in the her early days) driven by sublime basslines by Kyle Cunjak and country-styled guitar solos courtesy one Nick Cobham, that hit the bulls-eye. Another, which allows her dulcet tones to feature prominently, is the stunning ballad Isabels Song, one of the sweetest and simplest love songs youll ever find, with lines like, theres no going back after you, love, slipping beautifully from her country lilt.
Acoustic ballad All Those Years deals with a wandering couple who romanticise (but dont regret leaving) previous homes, while Set This Heart On Fire does exactly what is says on the tin, in an understated way, to a subdued shuffle.Plucking banjo and acoustic guitar carry Again From The Heart, enveloped by lightweight bass and percussion, making it one of the best tracks here, purely for its simplicity and stripped back quality.
If you want to hear one of the most heartbreaking songs ever, then its here as the final song, Flowers On Your Grave, lump in throat no doubt. Water In The Ground is accompanied by her debut album Dark Dream Midnight, previously only available by mail order.
The verdict: Nearly perfect.
Weblinks:catherinemaclellan.com /myspace.com/catherinemaclellan
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Take A Break
2. Water In The Ground
3. Hotel Stairs
4. Isabels Song
5. Something Gold
6. All Those Years
7. Set This Heart On Fire
8. Sorrows Drown
9. Not Much To Do (Not Much To Say)
10. Again From The Start
11. Everythingll Be Alright
12. Flowers On Your GraveView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.