MARRAM MUSIC

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THE LIVING TRADITION MAGAZINE, February, 2004:

THE Peaceful Ground is a faultless celebration of that rich seam of glorious Gaelic song - some in extremely contemporary settings, which may surprise some listeners. Maggie MacInnes' vocal beauty and purity so echoes that of her mother, Flora MacNeil MBE - who has shared her vast and precious knowledge of Gaeldom's most beautiful songs with her daughter. This album is the embodiment of the living tradition; rousing Hebridean waulking songs sit alongside moving Gaelic laments and timeless love songs. It all makes for a memorable listening experience, and MacInnes' voice resonates at one moment with an extraordinary emotional fragility, and at the next with passion and great strength.
MacInnes' clarsach playing flashes with prism-like precision throughout this finely-arranged recording, and she's accompanied by some first rate musicians, including Wendy Weatherby (cello), Graeme Hughes (guitars/percussion), Brian MacAlpine (keyboards), Finlay MacDonald (pipes/whistles), and Marie Fielding (fiddle). Flora MacNeil, and Maggie's sister Cairistiona provide backing vocals on three songs. Their sensitively judged contributions are fundamental to the album's sound.
You could divide the songs fairly equally between the rousing work songs and the sublime love songs/laments. Of the more upbeat songs, perhaps the most radical is 'Dh 'fhalbh mo run bho chionn seachdain', where MacInnes dips into the family archive to include a treasured recording of her late great aunt Mary Gillies of Barra. Trip hop rhythms, pipes and crunching guitars accompany three generations of this exceptional family. This is a superb song, and there are more like it! MacInnes also unearths a very beautiful 'lost' Burns song, The Ewe Bughts - such hauntingly lyrical whistle accompaniment. The album's lyrical opening song describes the sensual delights of the Isle of Mull on a spring morning.
There are shades of Moya Brennan in MacInnes' own composition, the lovely Peaceful Ground. Cairistiona is a lament of unrivalled beauty. Fhir An Leadain Thlath is sung a cappella, and I cannot help but compare MacInnes' version with her mother's on Orain Floraidh - the vocal similarities are disconcerting. Here, MacInnes publicly thanks her mother for sharing her songs with her - she's on record as saying that "they are so beautiful and a real joy to sing."
Our joy in listening to them is immeasurable! Debbie Koritsas

SCOTSMAN, 6th February, 2004:

SINGER and clarsach player Maggie MacInnes's lovely, deftly inflected Gaelic singing and gentle but evocative musical settings create a peaceful musical ground of their own, with the occasional feistier offering adding variety without disrupting the mood. She comes from a famous Barra family in Gaelic song circles, and both her mother, the great Flora MacNeil, and her sister, Cairistiona MacInnes, are heard singing with her here, as is her late great aunt Mary Gillies, in an old recording. The self-composed title track in English and a rarity by Burns in Scots are the only non-Gaelic songs. Kenny Mathieson

PETE FYFE(www.folking.com)March, 2004;

I first came across the gently lilting voice of Maggie MacInnes back in the early 80's on the album Cairistiona with George Jackson and I'm pleased to say that she reprises that particular song here (surprisingly) with the addition of understated electric guitar. The 80's were also about the time that I became aware of the Gaelic language in song. I still can't quite get to grips with it but if you take it as a texture mixed in with the music it is more than palatable, as Clannad and Capercaillie have proved on the mainstream market. OK, so lyrics aside, the album is a controlled folk-rock exercise courtesy of producer Graeme Hughes which at times crosses over into Martyn Bennett territory where the skirl of highland pipes add passion to an already evocative "Dh'fhalbh mo run bho chionn seachdain". Interestingly the vocals of Maggie joined by her mother the great Flora MacNeil on the same track conjure up images of Native Americans at a gathering. Whereas her previous recording was perhaps a little more subdued in it's arrangements, Maggie has surrounded herself with some of Scotland's finest musicians including Sean O'Rourke (saxophone), Wendy Weatherby (cello) and Brian MacAlpine on keyboards and the overall performances on this album are far more dramatic. Take for instance the waulking song "Haidh O" where the use of stick driven rhythm and crashing electric guitars create a powerful, edgy performance. Although not rocking in the true sense of the word this is an album that is refreshing without being in your face and a joy to listen to.

SONGLINES MAGAZINE May, 2004;

Maggie MacInnes is the daughter of revered singer Flora MacNeil (who provides some backing vocals on this album) and, along with Karen Matheson and Alyth McCormack, she's one of the finest contemporary Gaelic voices around. In this third solo album she stretches the boundaries with a range of modern interpretations of traditional Gaelic songs, plus one self-composed English-language number and one Scots song by Burns.
MacInnes is at her best when the arrangements are at their simplest. 'S toil leam an Cìobair', for the most part featuring only her singing and clarsach (harp), achieves a wonderful purity and clarity. The addition of the saxophone (Sean O'Rourke) towards the end is unexpected but successful, adding a real contemporary twist. 'Thig an Smeòrach as t-Earrach' is Gaelic singing at its best, accompanied by Brian MacAlpine's lyrical piano and Wendy Weatherby's cello; the emotional power will stop you in your tracks. And MacInnes's take on Burns's 'The Ewe Bughts' includes original music by her based on a traditional air - it's a great tune.
One problem is the use of electric guitar and keyboards which, despite the good arrangements, detract more than they add. But the acoustic instruments, including fiddle, pipes, whistles and guitar, are much more successful, and the album's defining sounds - MacInnes's singing and clarsach playing - are consistently excellent. - - - - -Andy Jurgis