The Blue Dress
“The Blue Dress” is all softness and satin. On her new solo album, the delicate sound of Shannon Heaton’s Irish wooden flute is accompanied nearly throughout by lighter-than-air instruments such as Maeve Gilchrist’s harp and her husband Matt’s guitar and bouzouki. The result is 12 tracks of beautifully played tunes that all blend together like the threads of some silvery, fairy-spun fabric.
That’s not to suggest “The Blue Dress” is insubstantial. All of the choices are firmly rooted in traditional music, from “Boil the Breakfast Early” and “Eddie Duffy’s Reel” to “Campbells Are Coming” and “Irish Washerwoman.” The tune selection is a nice balance of reels and jigs, with a set of hornpipes (“Grandfather’s Thoughts” and “Fairy Queen”) and a pair of polkas (“#99 Polka” and “High Caul Cap”) thrown in for balance.
Heaton also is supported by Paddy League on bodhran, percussion and bouzouki, and by Liz Simmons on guitar. League is especially effective on the polka track, playing what sounds like djembe on these very syncopated tunes. It’s the kind of set that, on a Lunasa CD, probably would transition to a mazurka. League’s bodhran play on the “Dennis Watson’s” reel set (“Wheels of the World,” “The Flogging Reel” and “Dennis Watson’s”) really propels the tunes with wild, burbly energy in support of Shannon and Matt Heaton. He shows up again in a few places; he provides an interesting contrast to Heaton and Gilchrist on the last track, a set of reels (“Hornless Cow” and “Boil the Breakfast Early”).
There are three more pensive tunes, as well, all of them Heaton’s own, including the delicate “Blue Dress Waltz,” one of the highlights of the CD. Gilchrist begins the tune, with Heaton joining a couple of verses in. It’s a lovely dance, a perfect pairing of two very complementary instruments and styles. “Blue Dress Waltz” is dedicated to all the fans who supported the recording on Kickstarter.com.
Two other pieces by Heaton, “Nights on Caledonia Terrace” (a slow air) and “Frost Place” (a slow reel) are especially lovely and show off her talent and sensitivity. She’s one of the leading wood flute players in the world, and these tunes help illustrate why she is held in such high regard.
All told, this is music played with a sure hand and faithfulness to the tradition, aided by a strong supporting cast. Together with Flook frontman Brian Finnegan’s earlier “The Ravishing Genius of Bones,” “The Blue Dress” is one of the most impressive and most completely realized albums of the year.
