album reviews
DOCHAS
An Darna Umhail
Rousing Highland pipes, propelled by the bodhran of Martin O'Neill, make a strong impression in this recording by Dochas - the former all-women line-up. Tight instrumental work on clarsach, keyboard, fiddle, accordion and pipes is augmented by powerful Gaelic singing led by whistle player Julie Fowlis. The Ni Dhomnhaill siblings guest in a song from accordionist Kathleen Boyle's Donegal family roots, there's a set of Glasgow Irish tunes, and fiddler Jenna Reid contributes a self-penned beauty from Shetland - adding to an uplifting album that celebrates Scotland's young traditionalists.
(Norman Chalmers: Scotland on Sunday)
DOCHAS
Dochas
Macmeanmna Skyecd23, £13.99
This is the debut of the all-women band who represent the huge resurgence of young music-making in the Highlands and Islands. Pipes, harp, fiddle, accordion, piano, whistles, guitar - even tasteful oboe - are expertly played, but best of all is the powerful Gaelic singing of Julie Fowlis, whether on the opening ‘Chuir Iad Mise dh’Eilean Leam Fhin’, or in the ballad ’Am Bron Binn’.
NORMAN CHALMERS
A-nis gu Dòchas, an còmhlan ùr òg a tha uile ’nam profeasantaich mar-thà ann an saoghal a’ chiùil - ’s iad ’nan deagh eisimpleir den ghinealach ùr aig a bheil ùidh dhomhainn ann am fìor cheòl Gaidhealach, gun chleasan, gun nàire. Tha comas leathainn aca, bhon ghuth bhinn aig Julie Fowlis á Uibhist a-Tuath gu clàrsaireachd chiùin Eilidh NicLeòid ás an Eilean Sgitheanach. Cuir ris piàno, feadag, pìob, bocsa agus fidheall, cho math ris an riochdaireachd aig Iain Dòmhnallach, agus tha clàr boillsgeach, aotram a’ tighinn ás (www.gaelicmusic.com).
Is toil leam gu sònraichte an rian glan de dh’Eilean Uibhist Mo Rùin a tha toirt còmhla ùrachd na h-òige agus eòlas fìnealta. Tha mi ’n dòchas gum fuirich a’ chóignear còmhla oir ged a tha iad math mar-thà, tha amharas agam gu bheil fuaim air leth aca ri teachd.
By Catriona Black, Scotsman 28th December 2002 (catriona.black@ambocsa.co.uk)
From/ Jim A. Johnston, ‘Vaila’, Bettyhill, By Thurso, Caithness, KW14 7SS.
Dòchas – Hope – an excellent name for the band and
for their CD, in which the expectation created in the name/title is
amply and stylishly fulfilled as track follows track. The Dòchas
all-girl combo may not have made the charts this Christmas but is definitely
on its way to the top with a lively and varied repertoire drawn from
several powerful musical traditions. Their debut CD, issued under the
label of Arthur Cormack’s specialist Gaelic music company, Macmeanmna,
is sure to add to a reputation for quality and vitality already gained
on tour in Scotland, Ireland and the USA.
The current Dòchas line-up includes Kathleen Boyle from Donegal,
not only steeped in Irish music from her mother’s knee but also
the first graduate in traditional music in Scotland when she matriculated
from the RSAMD in 1999. Another key figure is Julie Fowlis from North
Uist, also a graduate musician, but from Strathclyde University’s
Applied Music course. Her excellent and distinctive singing voice, so
far dedicated to Gaelic, will be a crucial factor in the band’s
future success while her exponency of the whistle, oboe and pipes add
extra breadth to Dòchas’s instrumental range. Carol Anne
Mackay of Strathy is already well known in Sutherland and Caithness
for her expertise on the pipes, the Scottish small pipes and the accordion.
Like her mother, Janette Mackay, she is also no mean singer –
a talent that could be exploited in future recordings! Eilidh Macleod
of Skye brings the clarsach and the keyboards while Jenna Reid, from
Quarff in Shetland, a pupil of the late, great Willie Hunter, makes
her own energetic contribution from Northern roots. Like Kathleen, Carol-Anne,
Eilidh and Jenna are all graduates of RSAMD’s traditional music
course and living proof that, even in this age of rap, grunge and garage,
young people still have the desire to study, adapt and develop the music
of their forefathers for the coming age. More power to their elbows,
fingers and feet!
‘Dòchas’ is available at £13.00 from outlets
throughout the Highlands or as CD23 in Macmeanmna’s catalogue
on the web at www.gaelicmusic.com . More details of the band may be found on their website at www.dochas.co.uk – well worth a visit.
Dòchas - Debut
Album
By Maggie Fraser - maggie.fraser@stornowaygazette.co.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is not surprising that Dòchas, a young and dynamic all-female
band, have been in high demand, following the recent release of their
debut album.
The album, which features 13 memorable tracks, is a mix of traditional
and contemporary; Scottish and Irish; and ballads and jigs — resulting
in a thoroughly enjoyable and energetic collection of ballads and tunes.
The album begins on a high note with ‘Chuir lad Mise dh’
Eilean Leam Fhìn’ (‘They sent me alone to an Island’).
This traditional song, with its simple, yet beautiful, melody, blends
perfectly with the harmonising voices of Julie Fowlis and Kathleen Boyle.
These pure vocals; along with the emotive and sorrowful sound of the
fiddle and the low whistle; work to touch a nerve and capture attention.
After enticing the listener with the first track, the following set
of Irish jigs will reel in any traditional music-lover — hook,
line and sinker! The track, entitled ‘Irish Jigs’, includes
three traditional Irish tunes, performed to an unbeatable standard.
The first tune is a pipe version of ‘Tobin’s Favourite’.
It is followed by two up-tempo untitled Donegal tunes that were played
by Danny O’Donnel and James Byrne, two skilled Donegal fiddlers.
The fiddle is accompanied by the accordion, piano and pipes to create
a fantastic set of energetic dance tunes that are unmistakably Irish.
‘The Pashmina’ comprises a set of unforgettable tunes. Band
member Carol-Anne Mackay composed the first tune — ‘the
Pashmina and the Cromag’ — for her mother, on the occasion
of her role as Chieftain at the Durness Highland Games in July 2001.
The pashmina was the shawl she wore around her shoulders and the cromag
(a shepherd’s stick) was presented to her as a keepsake. This
is a fantastic pipe tune, accompanied and softened by the piano and
the two instruments harmonise together to create a unique and mystical
sound.
This is followed by a pleasant traditional Scottish tune, ‘Back
of the Changehouse’ and a sprightly, Irish piece, the ‘Famous
Ballymote’. The girls end the set with ‘Quinie fae Rhynie’,
a tune that Wolfstone’s piper, Stevie Saint, wrote for his mother.
‘A Waulking Song’: Gura Tha Fo Mhulad’ (‘It
is I that am sorrowful’) is a lively song, said to belong to North
Uist, which tells of a young girl, jilted by her lover and left with
a baby. This air was given to Julie Fowlis by Christine Primrose. Julie’s
gentle vocals are first accompanied by the piano, then joined by the
pipes — to liven up the pace of the song — as it merges
into ‘The Braes of Melinish’. This piece, which was composed
by the late Pipe Major John MacDonald from Sutherland displays extraordinarily
intricate piping in an unconventional style, creating a composition
that is an honour to listen to.
‘The Waulking Song’ is followed by ‘Neilidh O’Boyle’s’,
which includes three traditional Irish tunes that the girls learned
from Kathleen Boyle’s grandfather. The first of these tunes, ‘Neilidh
O’Boyles Highland’, is a lively little number, played on
the fiddle and the low whistle for a distinctive Celtic sound. The second
tune in the set, ‘Duloman na Binnt Bui’, is a beautiful
tune, dominated by the clàrsach, low whistle and accordion. This
touching, heart-warming tune is a piece that you cannot help but love.
It is followed by an intricate melody, ‘Sean ’sa Cheò’,
played at a high tempo on the pipes for a variation of instrument, sound
and pace.
The vocal quality and precision of singer Julie Fowlis is unspoilt,
even by the rapid pace of the next set of Puirt-a-Beul. Julie’s
gentle, flawless vocals are perfect for these Gaelic songs, taught to
her by Mary Ann Kennedy.
‘Miss Elizabeth Garland’ is arguably the most beautiful
track on the album. Written by Eilidh Macleod, the tune was, in fact,
so popular with Eilidh’s mother she had to name it after her.
‘Miss Elizabeth Garland’ is played on the clàrsach,
creating a very soothing, sweet tune. This melody, which is not dissimilar
to a lullaby, has a Celtic feel to it — whilst creating a mysterious
and almost magical ambience.
‘Eilean Uibhist Mo Rùin’ (My Beloved Island of Uist)
is a beautiful praise song of North Uist, that was originally written
as a poem by Angus MacLellan, the local Tigharry bard. Julie’s
innocent voice is perfect for this song; which she performs with sensitivity
and emotion. She is accompanied by clàrsach, piano, mouth organ
and fiddle to create a touching and emotive track.
Dedicated to a certain man who thinks that girls can’t polka ‘Girls
can Polka!’ is a set of four tunes — demonstrating just
what the title implies! Each polka tune is refreshingly unusual, with
impeccable harmonising and unbeatable musicianship. This set of tunes
is so tight and flowing that the listener can barely hear where one
instrument ends and another begins!
‘Jeenie’s Set’ and ‘Fingal’s’ are
two similar tracks; in that they both display a set of first-class,
traditional-sounding tunes that would be ideal for a ceilidh. While
‘Jeenie’s Set’ includes a snappy Scottish fiddle tune
and an upbeat song from Shetland; ‘Fingal’s’ includes
a traditional pipe jig and a jolly ‘wee reel’. Each tune
is played to perfection by the five musicians; and each one equally
as enjoyable and appealing.
‘Tar the House’ includes a slow version of the beautiful
pipe tune, the ‘Long Night’. The pace is increased —
and an acoustic guitar and synthesiser accompany the pipes — as
the melody changes to ‘Tar the House’, a pipe tune with
a modern feel. The use of unconventional rhythms in the final tune in
this set, ‘Na Goisidich’ (The Gossips), makes this piece
a refreshing change and a real toe-tapper.
An unusual ending to the album is demonstrated by an unaccompanied piece
called ‘Am Bròn Binn’. Despite the obvious talent
of the five musicians that make up Dòchas, the vocalist, Julie,
needs no accompaniment with this simple, yet appealing track. The song
demonstrates how the haunting and flawless vocals of this fantastic
singer can carry the tune without any help.
Although Gaelic singing is undoubtedly her forte, Julie is also a fine
player of the oboe, pipes and whistle. The young singer is originally
from North Uist, where she was educated at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula.
Julie attended Dingwall Academy before graduating from Strathclyde University’s
Applied Music courses.
Equally as talented, Kathleen Boyle comes from a family steeped in the
traditional music of Donegal. She is a gifted pianist in addition to
her prowess on the accordion. In 1999 she made history as the first
graduate of traditional music in Scotland.
The band’s bagpiper, Carol-Anne Mackay, from the north coast of
Scotland, has played the bagpipes since the age of nine. She has travelled
many parts of the world, playing the pipes, accordion, and Scottish
small pipes.
Eilidh Macleod, from Skye, has played the clàrsach from the age
of nine. She was brought up performing at local concerts and ceilidhs
— and now regularly teaches clàrsach and keyboard at various
Fèisean.
Last, but by no means least, Jenna Reid is the band’s fiddler.
Jenna started learning the fiddle at the age of nine with the late Willie
Hunter, who was a huge inspiration to her. She went on to gain an honours
degree in Scottish Music at the RSAMD in Glasgow.
Individually — and as a band — the five girls have toured
extensively all around Britain, Ireland, Europe and America, capturing
audiences wherever they perform, thanks to their energetic, fresh style.
Dòchas have appeared on numerous television programmes, and have
performed alongside acts including Altan, The Liz Docherty Band, The
Incredible String Band and Danu.
The band showcased their new material on Air an Urlar on Grampian and
Scottish Television on Tuesday; and next month they will be playing
their driving tune sets — with fiddle, pipes, whistle, accordion,
piano, clàrsach and guitar; mixed with poignant Gaelic songs
— at venues in Glasgow and Uist. The girls also plan to support
the renowned Irish band, the Saw Doctors, at the Gosport Festival in
April — and are set to tour the Highlands and Islands later in
the year.
Dòchas have already gained a loyal legion of fans in countries
all over the world, but the release of their refreshing debut album
is sure to take the traditional music scene by storm. At a time when
contemporary traditional music is becoming more popular than ever before,
Dòchas’s fresh and contemporary new album sets a standard
that will be tough to beat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © The Stornoway Gazette 2002.
This is an exceptional album, especially
for a first effort. All the musicians are graduates of the Scottish
traditional music course at the RSAMD which means they should have had
a well-rounded musical education, probably beyond that of their earlier
training. That, no doubt, was a considerable help when they set up Dòchas.
Unlike Cliar, whose new album is reviewed on the opposite page, this
is primarily an instrumental group. And it appears to have been good
luck rather anything else that prompted oboe student Julie M Fowlis
to try out the instrument everyone is gifted with at birth, the voice.
The only singer in the band, her Gaelic singing - she doesn't sing in
any of the "inferior" languages at all - is a revelation.
A rich voice, lovely Gaelic and exceptional songs make her contribution
outstanding. It is a fact that your reviewer stayed with Eilean Uibhist
Mo Rùn so much that the rest of the album was at risk of being
neglected. In the recording the voice is well forward, but not too much.
The arrangement is very well done: the piano, accordion and violin all
contributing to an exceptional performance that grows on the listener
with repetition.
Although elsewhere on these pages there is a view that good new fiddle
music is becoming scarce, that does not appear to apply to song-like
tunes from the Highlands. One such is Miss Elizabeth Garland, a slow
air composed by band member Eilidh Macleod in honour of her mother.
A really lovely, original air, it is played with great tenderness on
the harp, with the oboe of Julie Fowlis making an unusual contribution.
Carol-Anne Mackay uses bellows-blown pipes to play Fingal's Weeping.
Her perfect tempo and unrushed interpretation is a lesson to those who
would play everything as fast as possible. Also enjoyable is her playing
on the "proper" pipes of Melness-born Pipe Major John MacDonald's
first-rate jig, The Braes of Melinish (Gaelic: Mealainis).
The band's excursions into Irish music are less satisfying, but pleasant
enough.
Am Bratach
Dòchas
‘Dòchas’
Macmeanmna Records
SKYECD 23
With: Kathleen Boyle (accordion, guitar, keyboards); Julie M Fowlis
(vocals, whisltes, oboe); Carol-Anne MacKay (pipes, accordion, low whistle);
Eilidh Macleod (clàrsach); Jenna Reid (fiddle, piano); guest
performer Martin O’ Neill on bodhrán
If you haven’t heard the name Dòchas before, it won’t
be long until you do after this superb debut CD from the young Scottish
band. Music graduates all—most from the RSAMD—they combine
technical savvy and a solid traditional aesthetique to produce a sound
that is polished, contemporary and steadfastly Scottish.
Instrumentally, the album covers a wide range between slow meandering pieces, quirky Allan MacDonald tunes, dance sets, and thumping polkas; the latter in defiant response to one cheeky piper’s jest that ‘girls can’t polka’. As a musician, it’s always a pleasure to listen to album such as this and think, ‘Oh that’s a great tune—must learn that… so is that one!..’
It doesn’t hurt that the group do such a great job putting their own catchy, individual marks on the numbers. Vocally, Julie Fowlis’ fine, inspired singing is a treat both for its tunefulness and her pronuciation, which betrays her North Uist origins. It is a difficult job making a song one’s own and also staying true to its roots, and Julie deftly manages both. It’s easy to get lost in this varied, infectious and uplifting music. Highly recommended.
San àm ri teachd, thathar an dòchas ri tuilleadh!
Will Lamb
REVIEW BY ALASDAIR MACLEAN- THE SCOTS MAGAZINE APRIL 2003
DOCHAS
Dochas
Dochas, meaning hope, are four young women from the Highlands and Islands
of Scotland and one from Donegal with a lot to say about traditional
music in a modern setting. Their debut album, also named Dochas, provides
a lively and entertaining show from a band that we should hear a lot
more of, if this is typical of the way they strut their stuff.
The band are Kathleen Boyle (from Glasgow), a pianist and talented box
player; vocalist, oboeist, whistle player and piper Julie Fowlis is
from North Uist and now domiciled in Ross-shire; Carol-Ann Mackay from
Strathy in Caithness is another piper, and an accordionist as well.
Eilidh MacLeod from Skye handles the clarsach, and Shetlander Jenna
Reid learned her fiddle playing from no less a mentor than the late
and much-respected Willie Hunter.
With pedigrees like that, it's no surprise that this collection is a
feast indeed, even for Gaelic traditionalists, who may be surprised
to hear how upbeat (and how downright 21st-century!) waulking songs
and puirt-a-beul sound in the hands of these women. Not only the band,
I venture, but also traditional sounds of Gaeldom have a long and happy
future ahead on this showing. Besides, dochas can also mean confidence,
something the group should be brimming over with as a result of this
starry debut.
Macmeanmna
SKYECD 23
website: www.gaelicmusic.com
Dòchas
I received a late Christmas present in January when a copy of the CD
“DOCHAS” dropped through my letter box. I have played and
enjoyed it several times since then and have no hesitation in recommending
it to readers of “Ceòl Beò”. It contains a
good balance of Scottish an Irish tunes and Gaelic songs played and
sung in fine arrangements. As Mary-Anne Kenned said on BBC Scotland’s
Celtic Connections Programme, “ Dòchas is one of the great
feel-good sounds of contemporary traditional music. The girls have combined
undoubted talent and great attitude to create one of the most promising
bands of recent years. Julie Fowlis’ voice has stayed with me
as something special since the day I heard her join the band –
she and the rest of the Dòchas girls have made an album that
I dare you not to enjoy. Highland music is blooming now as never before
– and Dòchas has to be one of its sweetest blooms.
Dòchas (Gaelic for hope) comprises five very talented young women. Kathleen Boyle comes from a family steeped in the tradition of Donegal. She is a talented pianist in addition to her prowess on the accordion. In 1999 she made history as the first graduate of traditional music in Scotland, receiving her degree from the RSAMD where she now lectures. Julie Fowlis is originally from North Uist, and was educated at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula, then Dingwall Academy, before graduating from Strathclyde University’s Applied Music Course. Julie was coaxed into Gaelic singing around two years ago, but is also a fine player of the oboe, whistles and pipes. Carol Anne Mackay comes from Strathy on Scotland’s north coast. Since starting to play the bagpipes at the age of nine, she has notched up many years of successful performing and competitive piping. She has traveled many parts of the world playing the pipes, accordion, and Scottish small pipes, and has taught extensively at workshops, Feisean and schools. Eilidh Macleod hails from the Isle of Skye, and has played the clarsach from the age of nine, brought up performing at local concerts and ceilidhs, as well as doing the competition circuit. Her sensitive musicianship has made her a sought-after player for both commercial recordings and concert appearances, whilst also regularly teaching clarsach and keyboard at various Feisean. Jenna Reid started learning the fiddle at the age of nine with the late Willie Hunter, who was a huge inspiration to her. On leaving school, she went on to gain an honours degree in Scottish Music at the RSAMD in Glasgow. Since then Jenna’s musical career has gone from strength to strength , and as well as playing traditional music, Jenna has played with John Rae’s Celtic Feet, a jazz based ensemble with a traditional flavour.
The band have been chosen by the organizers of the Farr Hall Traditional Music Concerts, Strathnairn to appear at their St Andrews Night concert on 29 November – something to look forward to later in the year. But if you can’t wait that long to see the band, you could check out their website for performances in other parts of Scotland, or if you are really adventurous, the Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival on 19 and 20 April in deepest Hampshire.
KJS
Ceol Beo
Traditional Roots Magazine (Jan 2003)
Dòchas
Label: Macmeanmna; SKYECD23; 2002
Another real treat from Scotland waiting to be discovered. Dóchas
features five girls from the Scottish Highlands and Islands and Ireland,
all of them with music degree. They play a wonderful range of instruments
- among others small, border and highland pipes (Carol-Anne Mackay),
accordion, guitar and piano (Kathleen Boyle), whistles and oboe (Julie
M Fowlis), clàrsach (Eilidh MacLeod) and fiddle (Jenna Reid).
They have in Julie also an excellent singer - it is rather unbelievable
that she was coaxed into singing only a couple of years ago! The songs
on this album are all traditional Gaelic, featuring ballads, mouth music
and waulking songs, often with chorus singing from Eilidh and Kathleen.
The tunes are lively and create an exciting soundscape; they are a mix
of traditionals and compositions of band members. Additionally to the
excellent music, the booklet has been designed with a lot of love.
With a stunning debut album like this, I am sure we will hear soon again
of Dòchas.
Homepage of the artist: http://www.dochas.co.uk,
contact to label: sales@gaelicmusic.com
Michael Moll
DOCHAS "Dochas" Macmeanmna
SKYECD 23
Music needs passion; without it, all that's left is a meaningless collection
of notes that arouse the listener even less than the player. Smother
it in passion and the notes merge into glorious sounds that have the
power to soar spirits and smooth souls. Dochas have so much passion
they make 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' read like a telephone directory.
From the evocative Mary Jane Lammondish vocals of Julie Fowlis through
the driving piping of Carol-Anne Mackay to the sparkling fiddling of
Jenna Reid, this band ooze passion from every note. Add in Kathleen
Boyle's clever piano playing and Eilidh MacLeod's deft clarsach playing
and you have a sound that would lift the spirits of all but the dead.
At full tilt this band have more bounce than a Baywatch beach scene
yet they can also slow to delicate and fragile when required.
So talented are the musicians involved that the list in the first paragraph could almost have the names and instruments randomly swapped around and it would still be right. This diversity of sounds allows the band to create complex arrangements that reveal new delights with each listen yet they never get in the way of the tune. The build on this by careful tune selection that avoids the obvious tunes in favour of melodic lesser known pieces which gives the CD a familiar but new feel.
Julie Fowlis' gaelic singing is a revelation and she takes the lead on the five gaelic song sets. The last being a stunning solo rendition of Am Bron Binn that closes the CD and restores pulses to healthy rates. With pipes, fiddle, clarsach, whistles, accordion and gaelic song, this CD is an identikit picture of the traditional music scene. Yet instead of the usual disfigured, barely recognisable portrait that identikits normally produce, this one is a work of art which bathes its subject in a golden glow. Highly recommended
Chris MacKenzie
This album was reviewed in Issue 51 of The Living Tradition magazine.