This album showcases the writing talents of John McCusker. Known mainly for his fiddle work with the Battlefield Band, John is also a prolific composer of tunes and, eighteen of the twenty-one featured on this CD are written by him. There are airs, jigs and marches aplenty and a rather lovely song "Night Visiting Song" with vocals by Kate Rusby. John has gathered a fine collection of musicians to play along with him and they are:
Ian Carr - guitar, Andy Seward - bass, Andy Cutting - diatonic accordian, Tim O'Brien - mandolin, Darrell Scott - guitar (track 12), Michael McGoldrick - flutes & whistles (tracks 3,4,6,8), Kevin MacKenzie - guitar (tracks 2,3). Conrad Ivitsky - double bass (tracks 4,8), Russell Hunter - piano (track 3 ), Simon Thoumire - concertina, Gino Lupari - bodhran, Iain MacDonald - whistle, small pipes, jews harp (track 1), Keith Angel - percussion (track 2), Kate Rusby - vocals, Jackie Wells - cello, Donald Hay - wee bell, Mike Katz - small pipes (track 4), Malcolm Stitt - guitar (track 9), bazoukie (track 6).
Media Reviews
A 27 year old with more album and guest appearances than you can shake a stick at, McCusker has come up with a fautless second solo album.
A 27 year old with more album and guest appearances than you can shake a stick at, McCusker has come up with a fautless second solo album. The word solo is loosely used- as a member of the Battlefield Band for a decade, he has many friends and some of them feature here. The formula is simple:give the tunes space to breathe, get some of the best in the business to play them -Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott and his own fiancee Kate Rusby - and let the music speak for it's self. Most of the album is written by McCusker and showcases his multi-instrumental skills.
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