Until relatively recently Julie Fowlis was best known as a talented instrumentalist, her piping skills having been learned in her native North Uist, and at University she specialised in the oboe. The fact that Julie also has a beautiful singing voice was kept from us.
But since becoming vocalist with the band Dòchas, the full range of her musical talents has now been revealed, and as a consequence the Gaelic music scene is all the richer. Isa MacKillop, her primary school teacher in North Uist, provided much of Julie’s early grounding in Gaelic song and remains a friend and mentor. Julie was greatly influenced by her upbringing in the Outer Hebrides and so it is little wonder that the bulk of the songs on this, Julie’s first solo album, are from the rich Uist song repertoire. These songs, and Julie’s interpretation of them, are a sheer delight. There are also three instrumental tracks on mar a tha mo chridhe which serve to remind us of Julie’s tremendous prowess as an instrumentalist. As alluded to in its title, mar a tha mo chridhe or ‘as my heart is’ this album brims with passion, pathos and intimacy, and confirms Julie as one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of Gaelic singers.
Media Reviews
One of the leading lights in the new generation of Gaelic singers.
JULIE Fowlis is best known as a member of Dòchas, but this excellent debut solo album confirms her status as one of the leading lights in the new generation of Gaelic singers. Many of the songs draw on her home territory of Uist, and her stellar collaborators include John McCusker, Allan Henderson and Iain MacDonald. She has a lovely voice without being too ethereal, and her phrasing and accentuation of the melody lines is hugely expressive at any tempo. She is also a gifted piper and whistle player, and shows off her skills on three instrumental sets.
Her beautifully clear, yet supple articulation is matched by the technical calibre of her arrangements and accompanists.
The first solo CD from North Uist native Julie Fowlis, Mar A Tha Mo Chridhe/As My Heart Is, more than justifies all the feverish plaudits she’s attracted since emerging as a vocalist with the band Dòchas. Singing here exclusively in Gaelic (meanwhile playing whistles, pipes and cor anglais), she imbues her skilfully varied selection of songs with a singular synthesis of freshness, depth, vitality and sinew. Her beautifully clear, yet supple articulation is matched by the technical calibre of her arrangements and accompanists. The latter include John McCusker and Allan Henderson on fiddle, John Doyle and Kris Drever on guitar, Ingrid Henderson on clàrsach and backing vocals, and Martin O’Neill on bodhrán – who between them also contribute to some sparkling instrumentals. http://www.sundayherald.com/47627
An inspiring collection from a new find
...An accomplished piper since her youth in her native North Uist....now she adds the talent of a cultured voice to the music of her childhood, with songs in praise of Uist, waulking and spinning songs, and puirt a beul. An inspiring collection from a new find
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