Liverpool Sound and Vision 8.5/10
The Road To Kennacraig is one that few will probably undertake, only perhaps the adventurous will see the possibilities that such an affair could produce, the sense of the windswept town joining in the ravishing sound created by the mysticism of the harp, one that the whisper of angels themselves would find hard to emulate.
However, if you should undertake the journey to Kennacraig, then in the company of one of the finest harpists in the world would surely make the adventure that much sweeter. For Karen Marshalsay, that expedition is one that gets deep into the traditional and the contemporary, one that is blessed to have all three Scottish harps centre stage and giving the acoustic lift that heightens the senses gloriously.
Through the use of the gut-strung lever harp, the wire strung clarsach and the baroque, The Road To Kennacraig is an album that steeps itself wonderfully in the mystery of the islands and the lifting of the fog that occasionally is seen to dominate the thought of the unknowing interloper, the majesty of the music created weaves a spell of enchantment and beauty; everything the unknowing hunter of such persuasions can see and believe they can touch.
This debut album is one that finds its way to the very cells that embraces any dedication to the artist and their vision, one that is fundamental to the way we experience empathy and solidarity. It is only by listening to the breath- taking arrangements of pieces such as The Journeying Jig, Ellen’s Dreams/PM Donald Maclean of Lewis, Bert Mackenzie’s 70th Birthday Waltz/Isabel Gow’s Welcome To Edinburgh and The Battle of The Bridge of Firth that we understand how vital the harp is as an instrument.
It is through the expression of these three versions of the harp that Karen Marshalsay brings depth, warmth and a satisfying character to bare, one that was originally brought to the attention of the listener for pipe music but which now undulates and surges with authority under the watchful eye of the harp.
A seamless album of quality, one that will help you find The Road To Kennacraig as well as a path to a new way of thinking.
Ian D. Hall