Between the Showers - Review
Folk Roots
A few decades ago the only decent harp was on the side of the black pint. Now we have some formidable and brilliant harpers. Gráinne Hambly is one such. Her harping is tremendous on the album Between The Showers. Nothing seems to daunt her in terms of technique, but she can also vary it, too, with airs and collaborations both with her sister Róisín on harp and Peter Ratzenbeck on guitar. Her debut album shows all the richness of the Irish harp and she takes from and tackles piping tunes (pipers pinched many an old harp tune in the past) fiddle tunes, naturally a trio of O'Carolan tunes, and new tunes making them all sound at home on her harp.
There is some lovely music here and Gráinne is a credit to her harp teacher Janet Harbison. The production is first rate as are the notes on the tunes and Harald Ergott's excellent cover painting and Bernie Prendergast's artwork - something vital but often overlooked partcularly by reviewers.
Joe Crane - Folk Roots