I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't review this album years ago -- nor did I write up an interview I did with Catriona McKay at the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton in 2007 -- because of an aggressively jealous wife.

I chatted with McKay in the green room at Cape Breton's ever-popular Festival Club, and my wife at the time watched from a distance -- all the while seething, I learned later -- because McKay, in fishnet stockings, lace-trimmed boots and a shockingly low-cut red blouse, made her feel insecure.

"She was flirting with you," she accused me afterward. "No," I assured her, "she was not." "You were flirting with her," she tried, which I also denied. But she didn't believe me, and when she later saw the provocative cover of McKay's CD, she hit the roof. To keep the peace, I put my notes and the CD aside.

Well, the notes are probably long gone, but I recently rediscovered the CD while unpacking boxes in my basement. And, listening again, I was immediately reminded why I enjoyed McKay's playing so much back in 2007.

It's not my preferred instrument, but I certainly can appreciate a well-played harp. McKay's is well played, indeed! The Scottish musician has a delicate touch and a gift for arrangement that weaves her strings into a tapestry of sound that is soothing but never withdraws into background music. Steeped in Scottish musical traditions, she's not afraid to experiment and insert other cultural influences, a bit of jazz and some otherworldly ambience into her compositions. The end result is a collection of strong melodies and rich harmonies that defy easy classification.

Most of the tunes here are McKay originals, but the music has a timeless quality that should appeal to a wide range of listeners.

Supporting her on the album are Donald Grant (fiddle), Fionan De Barra (guitar), Matt Baker (double bass) and Seamus Egan (nylon guitar), plus Alistair MacDonald on "laptop wizardry." She's also joined by Red Skies, a string ensemble consisting of Magnus Johnston, Gerald Gregory, Frances Grime and Catrin Morgan (violins), Felix Tanner and Nancy Johnson (violas) and Eilidh Martin and Lucy Payne (cellos).

This is a really good album. I'm glad I found Catriona McKay again.

[ visit Catriona McKay online ]