Shine is a trio of Scottish women that's perfectly named, for that's precisely what their music does, and very brightly. The roll-call comprises Alyth McCormack, Corrina Hewat and Mary MacMaster - each one's a stupendous singer, and the last two mentioned just happen also to be established practitioners of the electro-harp. Yes, that soft-toned yet wonderfully resonant beast whose distinctive timbre formed such a memorable constituent in the sound of the Poozies and Sileas (both of which included Mary among their ranks, of course). Unlike the Sileas albums, though, Sugarcane presents a sequence of songs (as opposed to instrumentals), a selection that can only be described as genuinely and inspirationally eclectic. A handful of Gaelic songs (shame no texts or translations!) ably complement Sting's Fields Of Gold (which turns up here in one of the finest versions I know) and Michael Marra's curious Happed In Mist, while the delicious wispiness of the title track is breathtaking, and the set is completed by some inspired treatments of Burns (notably the unaccompanied Tocher and, especially, Gloomy December, which provides an interesting counterpart to Robert Tannahill's Gloomy Winter).
Vocals are mellow-toned, yet with precision and bite convey a daring approach to harmonies, unafraid of exploring dissonances and where the natural, bold and fearless expression of them might lead. You might imagine that just harps and voices would make for a somewhat rarefied and restricted sound-palette, but full compensation comes in the sweeping deftness and delicacy combined with a robustness of attack, the sheer variety of material and the innovative treatments that fully utilise all three lasses' strikingly different vocal timbres. The trio's differing backgrounds and training (traditional folk, jazz, classical) allow them to reap each other's benefits, and together they weave an altogether gorgeous tapestry of sound. Like yer actual sugarcane, the sound is sweet yet at the same time quite basic and just a little raw, happily unrefined by such things as saccharine keyboards. Unless you're incurably allergic to the sound of the harp or to women's voices, you'll love this album, which makes a virtue of uniting disparate sources into a truly coherent, enchanting and richly rewarding listening experience. This album was a long time coming, but the lasses have every right to be extremely proud of their achievement - it's brilliant!

Sometimes you can tell the quality of a CD by just looking at the sleeve.  Take for instance this, the first offering from the trio Shine.  Classy photos, that wouldn't seem out of place in Vogue or Elle. Well, that's got the marketing strategy out of the way - now, what of the contents?  Well, they say that the angels in heaven play harps and so do Corrina Hewat and Mary MacMaster joined by Alyth McCormack on vocals. The twin electro-harps which are both made by Camac produce a wonderfully full-bodied sound that on the bass end gives an almost synth like quality that is particularly palatable to the ear. The inclusion of the Gaelic language always throws me.  It's not that I don't understand why it's included (especially as the trio is Scots born and bred) but I don't understand a word. My loss I guess. As if to counter this, the girls include a tremendous re-working of Sting's 'Fields of Gold' and a breathy version of Robert Tannahill's 'Gloomy Winter'. Be upstanding those of you who remember the Tannahill Weaver's original arrangement. This album is as pure an offering of art for arts sake that you will find anywhere and I unreservedly suggest you purchase a copy at the earliest opportunity. Gorgeous!