Infinite Blue

Amazon.com
Mary MacMaster and Patsy Seddon of Sìleas and Karen Tweed of the Kathryn Tickell Band have now fully welcomed solo singer Kate Rusby into the Poozies fold, and she's added a great deal of strength to the mix, not only with her vocals, but also with the subtle qualities of her guitar and fiddle playing. This is very definitely a band album, however; the instrumental sets sparkle joyously, whether original, contemporary, or traditional material, with the players working off and around each other. That said, it's the vocal work that truly stuns on this outing. "Sorrows Away" is perfect harmony, "Neptune" is a wonderfully moving eco-ballad (the arrangement recalls the Eliza Carthy band), and "Ma Plaid" is truly haunting. A triumph all around for the girls' team. --Chris Nickson

Tracks:

Come All Ye Lonely Lovers
Hagties Reel
Neptune
Crooked Road To Dublin
Ma Plaid
Sorrows Away
Maja's Brudvals
The Shepherd's Wife
The Mill House
The Maid Of Llanwellyn

Amazon.com

Mary MacMaster and Patsy Seddon of Sìleas and Karen Tweed of the Kathryn Tickell Band have now fully welcomed solo singer Kate Rusby into the Poozies fold, and she's added a great deal of strength to the mix, not only with her vocals, but also with the subtle qualities of her guitar and fiddle playing. This is very definitely a band album, however; the instrumental sets sparkle joyously, whether original, contemporary, or traditional material, with the players working off and around each other. That said, it's the vocal work that truly stuns on this outing. "Sorrows Away" is perfect harmony, "Neptune" is a wonderfully moving eco-ballad (the arrangement recalls the Eliza Carthy band), and "Ma Plaid" is truly haunting. A triumph all around for the girls' team. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Poozies for yousies.......2002-12-21

I have Infinite Blue(IB) and Raise Your Head(RYH)and RYH finds my cd player more. Any cd with Kate Rusby singing on it can't be bad, and these are no exception. You really need both of these anyway because IB has Neptune on it, which is a great song.
Ma Plaid/Freya's Dances is also great, and is also on RYH. Another one I like is Come All Ye Lonely Lovers. If your reading this and don't know who Kate Rusby is get Hourglass asap, it is awesome. My pecking order would be: Hourglass (K Rusby), then Raise Your Head, then Infinite Blue, Sleepless and Lights. 10 by Kate Rusby is not out yet and is something of a compilation with a few live tunes.

worthy of more than a mere five stars..........2002-01-16

Just when I was thinking of tightening up my reviewing standards and not handing out as many five star reviews--along came "Infinite Blue" by the Poozies as a Christmas gift. How can I not give this one five stars?

There are four songs here that I would categorize as great: "Come All Ye Lonely Lovers," "Ma Plaid," "Sorrows Away," and "The Maid of Llanwellyn." These ladies did an excellent job of selecting, writing, arranging, playing, (and especially) singing this material.

I am in awe of them.

Kate Rusby in particular is outstanding. Her voice makes what would otherwise be a run of the mill song (Neptune) into a true thing of beauty. Likewise, I cannot get "The Maid of Llanwellyn" out of my head. She has a voice that will haunt you for days after hearing it.

I give "Infinite Blue" my highest recommendation.

Celtic Supergroup (What is a Poozie?).......2001-07-21

I've been listening to a lot of ambient music lately, but I noticed that I've been suffering from TMS (Too Many Synthesizers). The perfect antidote is a Celtic gem like "Infinite Blue". Like the classic Coltrane Quartet or Blind Faith, "Infinite Blue" culls from the Cream of the crop; the wonderful Scottish harp duo Sileas, the accordianist Karen Tweed, and most significantly the singer Kate Rusby. For reference, you can ponder a comparison to June Tabor, Linda Thompson, or Sandy Denny, but Kate is sui generis (one of a kind). Hers is a voice that comes along maybe once or twice a generation.

Listen to her plea for environmental consciousness on the brooding "Neptune", or her lead acapella voice on "Sorrows Away". The CD opens on a high note, with "Come All Ye Lonely Lovers" sung by Mary McMaster of Sileas, and the CD continues through the aformentioned tunes, and a beautiful "Ma Plaid", with Kate's ghostly background vocals.

Along with Planxty's "The Well Below The Valley", the Silly Sisters CDs with Maddy Prior/June Tabor, "Sir John A Lot" by John Renbourn, Pentangle's "Cruel Sister", and anything by Luka Bloom, "Infinite Blue" stands front and center amongst the finest Celtic music to be found.

great ensemble.......2000-09-09

As a previous reviewer said, "Sorrows Away" will send shivers down your spine-- literally. It is the most beautiful and best executed a cappella song I've ever heard anywhere. The rest of the CD is fine, but this one song is worth all the money by itself.

MOVE OVER, DIXIE CHICKS-- THESE LASSES REALLY ROCK!.......2000-05-09

I bought this album with some trepidation: I knew the work of vocalist Kate Rusby and accordionist Karen Tweed but how would their music gel with two harps? Well, to my surprise and immense delight, it not only works -- it rocks!

Here Mary MacMaster and Patsy Seddon play both nylon strung and metal strung traditional Scottish and Irish harps. Their technique and sound are incredible: no ethereal, shimmering, New Agey stuff here! When accompanying songs, they contribute intricate, syncopated, melodic passages over a thumping bass-line back beat, reminiscent of the way that West African griots play their koras (21 string harp-lutes) to accompany their own singing. On the instrumental tunes these ladies really go to town! Their harps fill the bill equally well as lead and accompanying instruments with their expert use of traditional melodic ornamentation, such as "rolls" and "cuts," and totally rockin' bass lines.

When it comes to the piano-accordion in British Isles trad music, very few folks play it better than Karen Tweed. Like most trad music devotees, I prefer the rowdy bounce of the button accordion to the staid "Stomach Steinway." However, Karen plays her instrument with the punch and drive of a "button box:" not surprising, considering that in her youth she took lessons from Irish button accordion master, John Whelan.

Last but not least, awarding-winning Kate Rusby leads the Poozies in some of the finest vocal arrangments I've ever heard of any musical genre. Check out their acappella "Sorrows Away" -- it'll warm your heart and send shivers down your spine!

I've already given away several copies of "Infinite Blue" as "Mother's Day" gifts. The recipients are unanimous in their ecstatic "k'veling" (Yiddish for gushing "cheek-pinching" praise).

Tracks:

Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky: Dream Landscape
Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky: The Sky My Husband
Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky: A song On The End Of The World
Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky: Brilliant Sky
Love Scenes: I Am Filled With Love
Love Scenes: You Are Warm
Love Scenes: A Gentle World
Love Scenes: A Night Of Love (Serenade)
Love Scenes: A Spring
Love Scenes: As The Tongue Of A Wild Cat
Love Scenes: Love Separates The Lovers
Love Scenes: I'll Open The Window
Love Scenes: Parting
Love Scenes: We Are Going To Shoot At The Heart
Love Scenes: We Are Going To Throttle Each Other
Morningsongs: Paris
Morningsongs: The Blue Animals
Morningsongs: Walking Barefoot

Customer Reviews:

I wept..........2005-06-18

"Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky" is wonderful; so is "Love Scenes;" but I bought this recording for the last piece, called "Morningsongs." The performance is incredible; the baritone soloist is one of the best I've heard. The piece is so full of passion and sadness and beauty that you will never forget it. I particularly love the middle movement called "Blue Animals." Kernis - a brilliant composer! - uses the chamber ensemble to its fullest capabilities, melding instrumental colors with vocal sounds and syllables to create a full and rich, yet intimate, texture. I checked this recording out at a university library and after hearing it immediately bought my own copy.