I first heard Natalie MacMaster in 1998 when I was blown away by a track I heard (Catharsis) on a local college radio folk music program. I called the station to ask who, what song, and what album, and have counted myself among NM's fans ever since. She is an amazing talent, who continues to work her fiddle (her voice, really) like a master sculptor of sound.
Having said that, "Yours Truly" still took me by surprise. This is the locomotive of NM's musical development really speeding up - music you can practically chew, with gravy and potatoes on the side. The tracks take you on journeys of glorious imagination via beautifully constructed arrangements, ranging from gentle, soothing melodies to those toe-tapping, frenzied, delicious rhythms we all have come to expect and love - in fact, one of them is downright headbanging! The excellent musicians featured on this album are a reminder that no matter how exceptional the solo artist is, she only as good as the band beside her. You almost feel that they all inspire each other to play their best, and their best is what you get. This album gave me a new appreciation for the cello and the hammond organ. Some tracks contain so many different instrumental "voices" I almost expected some unpleasant collisions, but what results instead is a well choreographed acoustic ballet, with all the sounds skillfully dancing with and around each other. As far as Michael Macdonald's rendition of "Danny Boy" is concerned - sure it's been done better, but with a bit of imagination, I found it quite warm and stirring. (All you MM anti-fans, don't let one little track stop you, the rest of the CD's worth it)
The wonderful thing about NM is that she's all about the music, following her own, true instincts despite the expectations of traditionalists, mainstream listeners or bean-counting record execs. The greatest musicians of our time have been the ones who are courageous and talented enough to break the "rules." It's a shame more record companies don't realize that.
My recommendation: buy it, play it loud, enjoy it, dance to it. Word of caution: put on cruise control if you listen to this CD in your car or you might accidently get a speeding ticket.