but seems out of place on an album with the new, rockier Natalie. The arrangement is soft and lyrical and well-executed, and it makes me wonder about the possibilities of a Symphonic MacMaster album in the future. The next track, "Blue Bonnets Over the Border," spotlights Natalie's fiddle overtop a string quartet (Marie Berard and Fujiko Imajishi on violin, Douglas Perry on viola and Paul Widner on cello). Her voice precedes a no-frills set of "Maudabawn Chapel/Frank's Reel," played traditionally by Natalie and Sampson on acoustic guitar, and sounding like it might have been recorded for Natalie's previous album, My Roots are Showing. "Gramma" begins with a speech sample from Natalie's grandmother, the late Margaret Ann Cameron Beaton, which was recorded when she was 91. Natalie of course leads the way throughout with her fancy fiddlework - her fingers get moving with amazing speed near the end - and this is definitely the sort of thing I was looking forward to on this album! It's lively and fresh, pumped up a bit with some rock sensibilities without ever losing touch with the traditional sound. But the set builds as it progresses through "Memories of Winston," "Highlanders Farewell to Ireland," "Gravel Walks Reel," "Colonel Thornton" and "The Hurricane" - kicking in midway with Hammond organ (Sampson again), bass (Scott Alexander), drums (Al Cross) and percussion (David Direnzo). "Welcome to the Trossachs" begins a tune set which, at the beginning, sounds like something from Natalie's old days with Dave MacIsaac on guitar and Tracey Dares on keyboard (now replaced by Gordie Sampson and Joel Chiasson). Fortunately, Natalie does pick up her fiddle for a nice touch with "The Drunken Landlady" during this one. She sounds embarrassed, and the '70s-ish synethesized backdrop is weak. but, unfortunately, Natalie's voice isn't well-suited for the words she speaks. Co-written by Natalie and Amy Sky, the poem strives for sensuality (if you listen closely, you'll realize it's about her fiddle, not a lover). While her nonverbal vocalizations hint at a good voice which could be well utilized in future endeavors, the poem she recites falls flat. The title track, "In My Hands," features Natalie's vocal debut. That said, most of the tracks on this album are superb, so let's take a look at them individually first. There is a lot of good stuff on In My Hands, but the album seems to lack focus - almost as if Natalie was eager to try so many new things that she spread herself too thin to really delve into any of them. What I didn't expect was to be mildly disappointed. Based on the tantalizing bits of modern MacMaster on her landmark album No Boundaries and a few recent live performances I've seen, I was expecting quite a lot from the woman who ranks very high among my favorite fiddlers. This is the one where she vowed to break free of the restrictions of purely traditional Cape Breton fiddling and do something new, innovative and uniquely hers with the music. I've been looking forward to the release of Natalie MacMaster's new album for a long time. Rambles.NET: Natalie MacMaster, In My Hands Natalie MacMaster,
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