Lightweights & Gentlemen

by Lau

Overview

LAU are something of a young Scottish supergroup, a trio consisting of guitarist and vocalist Kris Drever, accordionist Martin Green, and fiddler Aidan O'Rourke. All three have made names for themselves as both sidemen to the stars and as solo or duo artists. Their first album as a trio is a bracing blend of traditional and modern elements -- the reel and jig sets have a traditional form but all consist of modern compositions by one or another of the musicians in the band, and most of them (notably O'Rourke's "Hinba" and Drever's slightly jazzy "Waiting for the Results") have a melodic edginess to them that speaks of impatient youth and of a talent that wants to push the boundaries of tradition. Green's "Come on Wee Man!" accomplishes the same goal by simply jumping cultures, evoking Europe and maybe Latin America as well. Drever distinguishes himself on a stately and splendid rendition of Ewan MacColl's "Freeborn Man." Near the end of the album things bog down a bit -- the instrumental "Gallowhill" and the "Twa Stewarts" set are both a bit enervated, at least until the final tune of that last set kicks in and blows the cobwebs away. Recommended overall. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2007
Label:	Compass
UPC:	0766397445823
Rank:	168358

Tracks

1. Hinba: Hinba/Funny Weather
2. Butcher Boy
3. The Jigs: Mattie and Karine's/The Lau Jig/The Cr¿¿che Jig
4. Results: Come on Wee Man!/Waiting for the Results
5. Unquiet Grave
6. Souter Creek: The Dog and the Rabbit/A Dog Called Bran/Souter Creek
7. Kris's: Alyth's/Muckle Moose on the Main
8. Freeborn Man
9. Moorhens: The Moorhens/Rick Taylor's/A Tune for Emily Ball
10. Gallowhill
11. Twa Stewarts: Auld Stewart/Young Stewart/Last Weeks Efforts

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lau   Primary Artist
Martin Green   Accordion
Kris Drever   Guitar,Vocals
Aidan O'Rourke   Fiddle

Technical Credits

Joe Scurfield   Composer
Aidan O'Rourke   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Group Member
Ewan MacColl   Composer
Martin Green   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Group Member
Kris Drever   Design,Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Group Member,Layout Design
Stuart Hamilton   Engineer
Calum Malcolm   Mixing,Producer
Traditional   Composer