Ross Ainslie
Remembering
(Great White Records)
Three years ago, piper extraordinaire Ross Ainslie gave up drinking and, with time on his hands when not hanging out with fellow folkies in bars, began writing songs. This new phase, which included him singing for the first time in his career, was moulded into shape when he was commissioned by Celtic Connections’ New Voices strand to compose the material that forms this new album. “How can I change the feeling that’s inside of me?” he asks on opening track Change. Well, if this song and the rest of the album is anything to go by, it’s not by navel-gazing on a therapist’s couch but by creating some of the most euphoric, uplifting music released this year. From the cascade of pipe notes that shoot adrenaline into Change to the bright optimism that exists in every vocal harmony on Flying Higher and Dreaming Daisy, this is positive music that shines with confidence and inner strength. And when the tempo slows, as on instrumental Lullaby For Mel, beautiful melodies do all the talking that’s necessary.
Alan Morrison
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