Transatlantic Sessions (Ceili, 2000)
Various Artists
Reviewed by John Lupton
It's no revelation that one of the strongest and thickest roots of American country music reaches directly across the Atlantic to Britain, but it's less well-known, at least in the U.S., that country music has long been popular among traditional Celtic and British musicians.
The mutual respect and admiration between both sides on this disc is clear and unmistakable. Attempts at genre mixing often end up muddled, disjointed and unsatisfying, but in this case the result is a set of tunes that blends seamlessly and vibrates with energy, especially in the contributions of the female vocalists: Sharon White, Karen Matheson, Nanci Griffith, Maura O'Connell, Rosanne Cash and, especially, Eddi Reader's joyful romp through "Hummingbird." The music is as much fun to listen to as it must have been to make.
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