MP3 Elizabeth Nicholson - Sink or Swim

Haunting vocals and lively Irish harp music, both traditional and original, that will give you the chills.

9 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, WORLD: Celtic



Details:
âSink or Swimâ is an album of traditional and traditional-inspired original music by Northwest harpist and vocalist Elizabeth Nicholson. The recording reflects some of the more brooding themes that folk music has to offer â shipwrecks, parted lovers, abandonment and, (of course) revenge. It also has a nautical thread running through it that emerges upon listening to the album in its entirety. Arrangements vary in complexity: Some are bare-bones, such as the unaccompanied song âDearest Nancyâ or gentle harp air âThe Sandpiperâ; others are more layered: âThe Tailchaserâs Jigâ is reminiscent of early Chieftains, while Elizabethâs bluesy version of the Irish ballad âBlack is the Colorâ calls to mind the work of theâ60s-era folk/jazz band Pentangle. Her vocals have borne comparisons to Karan Casey (of Solas) or Ruth Moody (of the Wailinâ Jennys). Elizabethâs harp playing has been heavily influenced by Irish harp greats Derek Bell, Mairead ni Caisaigh, and Grainne Hambly. The album features some of the finest traditional musicians in the Northwest: Rob Barrick (pipes, base, percussion); Jen Bernard (vocals); Jim Chapman (whistles, bouzouki); Brongaene Griffin (fiddle); Eddie Parente (fiddle, viola), Joe Root (accordion); and Bob Soper (vocals, mandola, fiddle, percussion).