Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Necessity may have a hand in the creation, but it is to the dreamer who deserves the accolade of being thought of as The Inventor, the creator of the moment which can turn a heart, which can give a person hope. To dream is to discover, to act upon it is to acknowledge imagination as a driving force to which we, as a species, can implement absolute, and positive change.
The Inventor though must surround themselves with a best team, with the souls of those who see the vision and run with the endless possibility themselves. For Norman Mackay, The Inventor is also a magician, one who weaves a tale in which others take their mark and cast a spell of high regard over the original compositions led by the accordion and the nature of the unspoken promise, one that is confidently delivered throughout Mr. Mackay’s eclectic and pulsating album.
The listener cannot but help feel as if they have replaced Dorothy as she stares in wonder at the veiled curtain that hides the greatest of secrets that a nation can possess; however, unlike Dorothy as she is greeted by the sight of subterfuge and trickery, this inventor holds firm on the promise. With the aid of musicians such as Feargus Heatherington on violin and viola, Phil Alexander on piano, Claire Campbell on fiddle and the enormity of spirit provided by The Edinburgh Singers Choir – Conducted by Alistair Digges, the music is assured to take you on a journey far beyond the grounding Earth.
Across such compositions as Missy Of The Mhor, Mackenzie’s Cottage, Carly’s Trip To Ecclefechan, Lord Anselm/Disco’s Inferno, The Coach House, Gellatly’s March and the stunning beauty that resides in the piano solo of the album’s final track, The Inventor, Norman Mackay’s vision is one to applaud, the assurance of how time views dedication and the sweat of ingenuity, how it encourages, boosts and inspires. In the end, The Inventor stands aloft, holding Dorothy’s hand and showing the listener that all is possible when imagination is allowed to sing from the same hymn sheet as beautiful arrangement and order.
An album that charms the senses without making the listener feel as if they have wandered into an impossible place. The Inventor reassures and emboldens the spirit.
Norman Mackay’s The Inventor is out now.
Ian D. Hall