Neil Spencer 

Julie Fowlis: Live at Perthshire Amber – review

Julie Fowlis demonstrates why she is the pin-up of traditional Scottish folk, writes Neil Spencer
  
  


The pin-up of traditional Scottish folk, Fowlis has touched an audience normally immune to the charms of Gaelic crofters' songs, such is the sweetness of her voice. Drawn from her three studio albums, this live set from last year's Amber festival in Pitlochry finds her and her quartet in immaculate form, skipping between spirited tinwhistle jigs, mournful ballads and her version of McCartney's "Blackbird" ("Lon Dubh"). Led by her husband, Eamon Doorley, on bouzouki, her accompanists are themselves a class act, though it's Fowlis's ethereal vocals that captivate, not least on a solo opener that reflects the elemental beauty of her Hebridean homeland.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*