What Road? is an album that will have wide appeal to those who like Celtic music, admire fine Scottish fiddle playing or know Charlie McKerron's distinguished contribution to Capercaillie's repertoire. McKerron is accompanied on this album (from his own new record label) by three other fine fiddlers: Duncan Chisholm (Wolfstone), Adam Sutherland (Croft No. Five) and Gordon Gunn. The band also includes Kris Drever (vocals, guitar and mandolin), Brian McAlpine (keyboards) and Tim Edey (guitar and melodeon) with backing by Capercaillie musicians Ewen Vernal (double bass), David "Chimp" Robertson (percussion) and Michael McGoldrick (bodhran). McKerron also contributes additional percussion.

If this line up makes you feel excited, wait until you hear the music! The album captures the feeling of an ad hoc and intimate pub session combined with contemporary polish and panache.

There are 26 tunes featured in the 13 tracks with seven traditional tunes and 19 contemporary compositions, including nine by McKerron himself. I found I tuned immediately into the album through recognising some familiar and favourite tunes of mine. These include two tunes usually heard with the flute leading -- McGoldrick's "Farewell to Whalley Range" (from Capercaillie's Nadurra) and Gordon Duncan's "Pressed for Time" (heard previously on Flook's Rubai), which has some outstanding double bass. The transposition of these tunes to the fiddle is brilliant and made me listen to them with renewed interest. Another exciting new interpretation is McKerron's own "Alisdair's Tune" (from Capercaillie's Glenfinnan).

Throughout the album there is a keen sense of tradition combined with contemporary interpretation. This is immediately apparent in the first two tracks. I think the keyboard, guitar and double bass contributions to the album are particularly effective, especially in providing a chilled jazz type contrast to the folk ambience in tracks like "Gillian's Waltz" (a superb composition by Gunn) and the three traditional tunes in track seven. There are some lively and upbeat numbers too including an American-sounding song "Shady Grove" and two tunes by Fred Morrison and McKerron on track five. Perhaps the album reaches its breathtaking best in track six with a traditional tune ("Katy Hill") sandwiched between two McKerron compositions. The pace builds up through the tunes and the sudden silence at the end at last allows the listener to draw breath.

One of the tracks to make a lasting impression is Drever's dramatic rendition of the traditional song "Skipping Barfit Through the Heather" on the penultimate track, which is brought to a conclusion by Sutherland's "Fiery Jock." This last tune title seems to me to sum up so well the passion of this enticing album.

I can only hope that this dream fiddle team will be touring far and wide, and making more recordings.

- Rambles
written by Andy Jurgis
published 12 June 2004