REVIEW: Great Big Sea, Turn (Sire)
- Reto Koradi
While the world seems to be getting smaller each day, there are still music cultures that many of us have probably hardly even heard of. And at leat for this reviewer, Newfoundland, a maritime province of Canada, was one of them until this CD by Great Big Sea showed up in the mail. And since curiosity was always one of the strongest human instincts, of course we wanted to know what kind of music these Newfoundland people make.
Turn starts out with some folky pop tunes like "Consequence Free" and "Can't Stop Falling" which have immediate appeal, plenty of hooks, and are solidly written and performed. Most of the rest of the album is filled with adaptations of traditional numbers from Newfoundland, songs that have been sung there for hundreds of years, while the island was isolated from the rest of North America, and more influenced by Europe. They sing about sailors going to sea, leaving their loved ones behind, about men that are drinking ("I'm a rover, seldom sober"), and about childhood memories ("I remember days of sunlight, with my father by my side"). Not topics that we hear a lot about these days, but maybe that's exactly what makes this music so different and interesting. The tunes are infectious with their multi-part vocals, and often have a Celtic feel to them. With a little imagination, you sometimes feel like you're standing in a crowded Irish bar, with a Guiness in your hand.
This album can definitely be recommended to anybody with an affinity to folk from different parts of the world. If you like the Pogues (in a more traditional incarnation), Los Lobos (whose member Steve Berlin actually co-produced Turn), or Les Negresses Vertes (for our francophone friends), Great Big Sea is a band worth checking out.
