Blass – An Album of Good Taste

Blass (Manx Gaelic for flavour or taste) is a new CD which reaches out from the developing Manx traditional music scene, revealing a younger generation of musicians with their own ideas and interpretation of both traditional and original material.

It’s a juicy collection of Manx music providing two tracks each from five previously unrecorded solo artists or groups from the contemporary traditional scene, and includes a rare opportunity to hear recordings by the popular duo Strengyn.

Bursting with instrumental and vocal talent, this CD is a confident little number, expressing a maturity and confidence which delights in pushing the boundaries and providing fresh ideas from innumerable sources. Listeners may detect Latin rhythms, a little rock, or the trace of a cuckoo’s call amongst a selection of tunes which reflects a growing quantity of contemporary ideas as diverse as a mouth-watering burger, a plastic octopus and the unprecedented popularity of the ubiquitous iPhone. Bur for those with a more traditional preference the recording is balanced with a number of familiar melodies collected in previous years by diligent cultural field workers.

Produced by the Manx Heritage Foundation, it’s a colourful and sensitive performance which presents a growing confidence in the continuity of the traditional music scene on the Isle of Man.

Available priced at £10.

Valerie Caine © December 2013

(Courtesy of Manx Life)