Sharp and Sweet
Sangsters
Greentrax Recordings Limited
2000
20 tracks
For some whose native tongue is English, the songs on Sharp and Sweet may at first seem to be sung in another language. Sung in the Scots dialect, this enchanting collection of folk songs may take several listens before the words become less than incomprehensible to the non-Scottish listener. This is not all bad. As when listening to excellent performances in any foreign language, the words need not be understood for the power of the music to reach and move the listener.
As widespread as it is in the world, the English language has over the centuries grown a plethora of dialects. In many cases, a regional dialect may be far enough removed from the conventions of standard English to be practically impossible to understand for those who do not speak that dialect. While these unique national and regional dialects can be found around the world, one of the oldest and most interesting is found closer to home, in Scotland.
Born before memory, in a time of legend, the Scots dialect incorporates an amalgam of English words, Scots Gaelic, English words with ancient or non-standard pronunciations, and words unique to this dialect. Banned by the English upon penalty of death, the Scots dialect persevered underground until resurrected in the Eighteenth Century by a growing number of Scottish nationalists, including writers Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.
This is not history but a stew of memories from high school, my own reading, and things my own father may have told me many years ago. I trust it is mostly accurate, but the details may bear correction.
The booklet that comes with this release includes lyrics for all songs but two, for which permission could not be obtained. The printed lyrics may at first seem as dense as the sung versions, filled as they are with unfamiliar Scots words and nonstandard spellings of English words. Even though my father made it a point to instill in us a pride in our Scottish heritage and I have spent a lifetime since studying the English language in its many permutations, I still found many of the lyrics difficult. North Americans who have no such background must surely feel they are reading a foreign language.
Eight of the twenty songs here were written by Robert Burns. Three more are traditional Scottish songs. Most of the rest are based on traditional words and melodies. Only five are written in what may be called standard English.
As a group, Anne Combe (vocals), Fiona Forbes (vocals), Scott Murray (guitar and vocals), and John Blackwood (guitar and vocals) bring to this music a level of performance to which many artists may only aspire. The music on Sharp and Sweet is uniformly beautiful. The instrumentation is pulled back and conservative. The vocals are strong and feature some lovely harmonies on most songs. This is acoustic folk music performed with restraint and respect for the tradition. Some songs are nationalist in nature. Others are love songs. Others reflect a philosophy of everyday life. All have a story to tell. In these performances, the stories are well told.
Rather than discuss individual songs at length, I'll just say that each song on this release has its own charm and beauty and as a set these songs have a certain power to enchant the listener. Sharp and Sweet's booklet cover quotes a poem by Hugh McDiarmid that speaks of the "white rose of Scotland/That smells sharp and sweet and breaks the heart." It might be said that these songs are like that.
Sharp and Sweet may be of some interest to those interested in English literature, and in particular that line of poetry that was written in the Scots dialect. It may even interest some who are interested in the poetic edge of Scottish nationalism. However, this release is most highly recommended simply as an excellent performance of beautiful folk music. As such, it would make an excellent addition to any collection.
There appears to be no Sangsters website, but some information on this quartet and their recordings can be found on the Greentrax website.
|
Since about February 14, 2004, |
|
|
Support Sound Bytes |
While you're here, please take the time to check out our sponsors below and on other pages.
Got a new or recent release you would like reviewed?
Click here 
for more information.
|
on Sound Bytes' Free-For-All Links page... Click Here.
Designed by The Communication Centre (R. D. MacKenzie Associates,
Kingston, Ontario K7K 6T9)
This web site, all pages, original content & images copyright © 1997-2003 R. D. MacKenzie.
Some web site functions developed and provided by Bravenet Web Services.
Review written: May 30, 2003
Page modified: February 14, 2004
Proudly Canadian
Send mail to the Sound Bytes Webmaster
if you have questions or comments about this web site.