CD REVIEW: "The Sweetest Hour" by BlackwoodBy George O'Brien
The "Sweetest Hour" is the first studio recording by Blackwood and it is a first rate CD. Considering that their previous effort "Blackwood Live" was an outstanding effort, it took a lot to top it, but they did it.
It is hard to believe that Blackwood has only been together as a regular band for a year and a half. Two years ago they did a demo CD called "Sesssions". It was little more than an Irish seisiun where a group of musicians just get together and play, but it reflected just how talented these musicians are. While the CD remains popular, the band members cringe when they hear it now because they know they are a lot better now.
Blackwood has evolved into an outstanding band. It is much tighter, does vastly more complex arrangements, and it sound like they have progressed as musicians as well. Considering how good they were to start out, that is no small accomplishment.
"Sweetest Hour" reflects the sound and tone that makes Blackwood one of the most distinctive bands around. Bill Craig (formerly of the Irish Rovers) told me they remind him of the superband Solas. Unlike other pub bands that are know primarily for their vocals, Blackwood is equally famous for their instrumentals. Led by Sven Henrich on flute and whistle, Jerica Leathers on fiddle, Dennis Putscher on guitar and Kevin King on bodhran; Blackwood would be considered a great band even if all they did was instrumentals.
Two years ago I did not feel that Sven's vocals were equal to his instrumentals. Now he has improved to the point where his vocals are as much a draw as his flute and whistle work. On "Sweetest Hour" he sings and American Folk song "Caleb Meyer", "Oregon" by Tucker Zimmerman, "The Dutchman" by Michael Peter Smith, the Andy Stewart classic "Take Her In Your Arms", and the "Moving On Song" written by Scottish musician Ewan MacColl. The Scottish theme is continued with two pieces by guest vocalist Tom Tevin of Scotland who sings "Green Grow the Rushes" (lyrics by Robert Burns) and "She Moved Through The Fair".
Except for "Take Her In Your Arms", these songs are mostly ballads. However, there is no lack of energy especially during the instrumentals. Many of the instrumental pieces are familiar to Irish music fans even if they don't know the names of the tunes. For example, Jerica and Dennis are joined by Curt Cichon on the seventh track titled "Reel De Solisa" to do favorites such as the The Tamlin, Drowsy Maggie, Julia Delaney, The Mountain Road. The 12th track titled "The Moving Cloud" includes familiar pieces such as Moving Cloud, The Reel of Mulinavat, and The Gravel Walks (which includes the sound of Sarah Houghtelin dancing in hard shoes). Track 1 titled "Fig for a Kiss" includes Fig for a Kiss, Sean Ryan. Pull the Knife and Stick it Again followed by two well known reels Toss the Feathers and the Glass of Beer.
Track 15 titled "Culfadda" has some less familiar tunes (to me at least) that feature Sven on flute on The Road to Cashel, Culfadda, and Crosses of Annagh.
There are also some original tunes written by members of the band. Sven Henrich and Dennis Putscher wrote the tunes in track 6 titled "Time We Have" and in track 16 "Sweetest Hour" was written by Sven, Dennis, and Jerica Leathers.
One familiar tune is the famous classical piece, the Pachebel Canon. Jerica begins by playing straight, but then speeds it up into a lively reel and then takes it back to original speed.
Besides the four regular members of the band, "Sweetest Hour" includes several guest performers including Tom Tevin on vocals; Beth Patterson on backup vocals, bouzouki, bass, and oboe (on the Pachebel Canon), Patty Lynn Winters on backup vocals, Billy Parker on mandolin, and Curt Cichon on guitar.
The Blackwood web site is www.blackwoodband.com.
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