We are delighted to hear that we’ve been nominated for Up and Coming Artist of the Year 2009 in the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.Thanks to everyone who nominated us.
Voting is open from now till the 20th November and if you want to, you can vote here.
For more information on the Trad Music Awards visit http://www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/
I often get the complaint “there’s nothing new coming out of Scotland.” Well that’s just wrong, as any fan of the Greentrax Music label will tell you, and the next two CDs I want to tell you about will prove my point. Between Two Worlds by The Paul McKenna Band, is one of the most innovative sounds, contemporary and traditional in the same breath—the future of Scottish music? I hope so. Led by Paul McKenna on guitar and vocals, the band features David McNee on bouzouki, Ruairidh Macmillan on fiddle, Sean Gray on flute & whistle, and Ewan Baird on bodhran. Paul McKenna also wrote several of the songs and some of them will be classics, the title song for one. I spent the better part of a day in the store just playing and replaying this CD, making all my customers listen to it. They liked it.
Jack Baker
irishamericannews.com
Ian Green, supremo of Greentrax, keeps getting deserved recognition from the industry for all his contributions to traditional music. One of his many talents is to know a damn fine band when he hears one, and then give them a recording contract. Which is just what he’s done again with these guys, who are the eponymous Paul McKenna, vocals, guitar; David McNee, Bouzoukis; Ruairidh Macmillan, fiddle; Seán Gray, flute, whistles; and Ewan Baird, bodhran.
Paul has a distinctive, clear voice and he tackles with aplomb a mixture of his own compositions and traditional numbers, some of which are sung to different airs, such as Red Mary to the tune of Willie Taylor, and Carnlough Bay to one of Paul’s melodies.
The instrumental arrangements and playing are outstanding throughout. The guitar and bouzoukis provide a rhythmic drive, the fiddle, flute and whistles intertwine beautifully and the bodhran is shown to be an instrument capable of subtlety and innovation.
They are a band whose live stage act is both engaging and memorable, and this release, adroitly recorded by the redoubtable Kris Koren and John Weatherby, captures that spark and vigour. In addition, this is one of those CDs which benefits from repeated listening, as there are layers of subtleties in there which just keep adding to the enjoyment.
Gordon Potter
I can’t work out why the Paul McKenna Band aren’t making more waves south of the border. It can’t be the quality of the vocal, Paul McKenna has a powerful and distinctive voice, It can’t be the musicianship, the band include award winning muscians in their number. It can’t be the choice of songs, “Between Two Worlds” contains a solid combination of new songs and reinterpreted traditional songs. The album is well produced, the songs arranged with a sense of freedom and identity, a good mix of pace and power. The Paul McKenna Band are at the forefront of Scotland’s new wave.
Neil King