November is a chilled, vibey, laidback collection that brings together Aidan O'Rourke (fiddle), Fergus Mackenzie (drums, piano), Quee MacArthur (electric bass, percussion), Kevin Mackenzie (electric and acoustic guitars) and Donald Hay (percussion). The album also reveals Alyth McCormack's lovely voice in a new and contemporary setting. Sunhoney create an accessible, danceable sound, with lots of drum, bass and trip-hop grooves. My one criticism is that McCormack's voice isn't heard on enough of the songs for my liking!

The vocal tracks, written by either Mackenzie or MacArthur, provide a good balance for the instrumentals. McCormack sings on four of the tracks here, and it's really pleasing to hear her singing in English -- her honeyed voice really does lend itself perfectly to the mellow, contemporary feel of these tracks. Lewis-born McCormack has won much acclaim for her stunning traditional Gaelic vocals over the past few years (as on her solo album An Iomall). I particularly enjoy her vocal on "Winter's Breath" -- gorgeous, chilled singing indeed: "I watch the sky, I see your face/I'm falling, falling into you." And on "Make It Easy," the subtle guitars and percussion build up nicely round her lovely voice with a relentless push, allowing O'Rourke's lyrical fiddle playing to bring the song to a close. O'Rourke tours frequently these days with brilliant Scots band Blazin' Fiddles, another lineup guaranteed to get you on your feet!

The instrumental tracks reveal O'Rourke's impressive ability to write great traditional tunes -- his fiddle playing always has an assured lyricism -- and then to allow these great tunes to fuse with ultra-contemporary bass and grooves. "Hazy Hill," the opening track, is a vibey, happy reel in which O'Rourke's fiddle weaves its way through the bass and percussion. On "The Wishing Tree," his fiddle playing cuts through (and sets the pace for) the percussion and clubby sounds superbly. "The Plague" is beefed up by some great electric guitar from Mackenzie. The other instrumental tracks, "November," "Peckham" and "The Lobster," all develop that chilled, catchy sound that is Sunhoney.

All in all, this is a contemporary, easygoing and accessible album by these fine artists, providing further evidence that Scotland's musicians aren't afraid of combining their traditional roots with new and vibrant sounds.

- Rambles
written by Debbie Koritsas
published 27 March 2004