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Track Listings
| 1. Jamie Come Try Me |
| 2. My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose |
| 3. Willie Stewart/Molly Rankine |
| 4. Ae Fond Kiss |
| 5. Brose And Butter |
| 6. Ye Jacobites |
| 7. Wild Mountainside |
| 8. Charlie Is My Darling |
| 9. John Anderson My Jo |
| 10. Winter It Is Past |
| 11. Auld Lang Syne |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
While Eddi Reader's Sings the Songs of Robert Burns may sound like something deeply unpalatable foisted upon cowering school music students as part of the National Curriculum, it isn't. And besides--the former Fairground Attraction vocalist has come up with a folk album sensitive to the protestations (Jacobite rebel songs), lusts and romantic tragedies ("Ae Fond Kiss" and the unbearable tenderness of "My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose") of Rabbie Burns's work. While poetry may not be the new rock & roll, Alloway's 18th Century "ploughman poet" made more of a decent fist at getting pissed and overly frisky with the ladies than was ever managed by Jim Morrison. And when it came to poetry, Burns wrote "Tam O' Shanter". Morrison wrote "Death of My Cock". Enough said.
Abetted by some of the most prestigious names in the contemporary British folk world--John McCusker, Colin Reid, Boo Hewerdine, Kate Rusby (who duets harmoniously on the homesick Highland panorama of "Wild Mountainside") and with Kevin McCrae's eloquent string arrangements (with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra) meriting comparisons to Robert Kirby's work on the first two Nick Drake albums, this is an album that serves to impress upon the listener the desire to explore the works of Burns--and Reader--further. If "Jamie Is My Darling"--a call to sexual initiation--is justly delivered with all the juvenile frisson of a tentative knee-trembler behind the bike sheds then "John Anderson My Jo" is breathtakingly poignant in its tale of life-long commitment. Thoughtfully--and for the benefit of Sassenach speakers of the "De'il's tongue"--Reader's sleeve notes provide handy translations of some of the more abstruse elements of Burns' Scottish dialect. She also admits to being a bit coy about Burns' bawdiness ( "Brose and Butter" omits the most offensive, female crotch-area word in the English language) so one can only hope she'll be brave enough to include a version of "Nine Inch Will Please a Lady" on her next Robert Burns album. After all, on the strength of this effort, a second volume is surely warranted. --Kevin Maidment
Review
Eddi Reader's voice is an undeniably awesome thing. Her ability to swoop, soar and generally take your breath away has been a proven fact since Fairground Attraction's First Of A Million Kisses in 1988. Yet attempting new interpretations of the work of Scotland's greatest bard may be, to some of you, a step too far. Is it merely an exercise in trying to prove the old cliche about singing the phone book and making it sound wonderful? Surely old Rabbie just wrote corny stuff about mice and haggises? Well, wrong and wrong again. For Reader wants the world to rediscover what most residents of Scotland's West coast have known for three centuries. Burns wrote a top lyric and his words, filtered through Eddi's lovely larynx, again, come to life on this release.
Sure enough the usual classics are revisited. ''My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose'', ''Auld Lang Syne'' and ''Charlie Is My Darling'' all get a dusting down; but with a band and arrangements as good as this, it's like listening to a brand new repertoire. Ably abetted by her usual band and featuring the awesome fiddle of John McCusker and the lush orchestral arrangements of Kevin McRae, Reader has reached a logical point in a career that's gradually moved nearer to pure folk with every release. In her voluminous sleeve notes she contextualises the project by recounting how her move from the urban sprawl of Glasgow to the Ayrshire town of Irvine brought Burns' magic to her attention.
The delicate acoustic backings focus the mind on Burns' words. It's the universality of his messages that Eddi's attempting to convey here. The bawdy ''Brose And Butter''; the declaration of lasting devotion ''John Anderson My Jo''; and the call for political moderation and peace ''Ye Jacobites'' - all have a contemporary relevance. And as John McCusker says in his commentary, it's in no way in danger of being ''dead posh''.
If there's a reservation it's in the somewhat cloying nature of the strings of the RSNO. Yet this is a small gripe in the face of such a fresh look at a man's work that's justly celebrated every 25th of January north of the border. Interestingly the finest moment arrives with the song ''Wild Mountainside'' which isn't actually by Burns at all, but by the Trash Can Sinatras' John Douglas. It's included to demonstrate how the poet's muse lives on in Scotland to this day. On this evidence it'll be a long (or should that be lang?) time before Reader and her friends lose their inspiration. --Chris Jones
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
£11 is transient, beauty is eternal,
By A Customer
This review is from: SINGS THE SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS (Audio CD)
I hesitated about buying this album. I was thinking 'oooh, will I like it? Will it be a waste of £11?'. I was being a bit stupid really, cause I've always like Eddi's voice & material. Nearly everything I hear her sing is great. She could even bring out an album entitled 'Eddi Reader Sings The First Five Pages Of The Glasgow Telephone Directory' and I'd still love it.But this is special. It's one of those all-time classic albums where u know everything has come together perfectly. It's more than just the musicianship. It's the enthusiasm, the inspiration, the *vibe*. This album will lift you up, chill you out, make you cry, make you smile. It conjures up everything that you'd want a poem, a song, or piece of music to. I'm so glad that I didn't hesitate too long - neither should you. Buy this.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full of emotion,
By Clarkey "g57" (Belfast) - See all my reviews
This review is from: SINGS THE SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS (Audio CD)
I think I can safely say that, in my oppinion, Eddi Reader has the most clear and astonishingly heartwarming voice. The album is full of lovely renditions of old favourites, instantly recalled when heard again. Each song has a little story behind it, which the artists have detailed in the CD pamphlet and allows you to come closer to knowing what Robert Burns was feeling when he wrote these songs. A more interesting way to learn. Each song is different and can be listened to time and time again without becoming monotonous. In fact the music and Eddi's voice can take you somewhere either very calm, or very fun and occasionally fill you with enough warmth of spirit to make you tearful. An album worth its weight in gold, and not just for Burns' fans!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A revelation,
By
This review is from: SINGS THE SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS (Audio CD)
Anyone thinking that an album devoted to a modern interpretation of Burns' poetry with support on some tracks from orchestral musicians can be forgiven for being a bit sceptical. I was. However, something made me buy the album nonetheless, and I'm so glad I did.
The music is truly original and fresh. Each track is given a unique interpretation and there is a dizzying array of styles on show - as well as the versatility of Reader's fantastic voice. Not knowing much about Burns before I started listening, and worried about whether I would be able to make head or tail of it, I found that I really enjoyed they lyrics as well as the music and really want to find out more about the poet. Perhaps most surprising of all is Reader's rendition of Auld Lang Syne which she transforms from drunken cliché to a moving song of longing and memory. There are fast-moving foot tapping tracks, such as Jamie Come Try Me and Brose and Butter (which is apparently quite bawdy, although a bit over my head) and beautiful lyrical tracks such as Wild Mountainside and John Anderson My Jo. Also interesting is the timelessness of some of Burns' lyrics - such as Ye Jacobites - an "anti-war" satire which has a particular resonance at the moment and which Reader sings with great feeling. All in all I thoroughly reccommend this album as something pretty different and enjoyable.
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