Most people would be hard pressed to use a word like "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch" in a song. In fact, the task might be enough to make some people throw in the towel for good on that whole song-writing thing. Not so Gavin O'Loghlen, who apparently did it on purpose.

Well, at least he had a choice. Pity poor Angelee Theodoros and Anne Dormer, who had to sing the word with O'Loghlen on the chorus of the song titled for a wee Welsh town with an amazingly long name. (Don't quote me on this, but if memory serves it's the longest proper noun in the world.) Anyway, it's a cute, whimsical song about a deadly spelling test ... a funny high point on a good album.

Otherwise, My Mother's Country is a strong follow-up to O'Loghlen's previous album with Cotters Bequest, In the Home of My Ancestors. In both cases, the Australian musician has bent his attention to the Celtic lands of his family's origins -- in this case, the Celtic bits of Great Britain (Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, England and the Isle of Man, while the previous album focused on Ireland).

This one has a slightly more "Kitaroesque" feel to the instrumentation, but that only proves that O'Loghlen isn't willing to be bound by purely traditional styles. The tunes are all O'Loghlen originals, written in homage to his ancestral homeland without simply retreading the native music.

Full marks for authentic touches, too. Not only did he and his singers learn to pronounce "Llanfairpwll--" ... you know, that long Welsh name mentioned above, but they also learned enough Manx Gaelic to sing a portion of "Ellen Vannin - Isle of Man" in its native language. "Koyt Tredhewi (Trethevy Quoit)" and "Mont Sen Mighal (St. Michael's Mount)" are sung entirely in Cornish.

This album is lush and atmospheric, using a broad range of instruments to achieve its full sound. Besides vocals, O'Loghlen contributes acoustic and electric guitars, a range of whistles and percussion, bagpipes, bass and keyboards. Joining him are Anne Dormer, Stephanie Graeber, Harry Theodoros, Suzannah Graeber and Angelee Theodoros, who contribute harp, cello, uilleann pipes, a pair of violins, fretless bass and accordion, as well as additional vocals and percussion.

Besides Man, Cornwall and ... a small town in Wales, this musical journey travels by sites and monuments such as Hadrian's Wall, Cerne Abbas, Stonehenge, Silbury Hill and Tintagel. I'd recommend picking up In the Home of My Ancestors first, then seek out a copy of this one as well.

[ by Tom Knapp ]