Stay Strong - New Orleans is the song off the new Blair Douglas featuring Michael Marra on vocals backed by The Nightcrawlers from New Orleans. He delivers the song in French which adds to the heartfelt sentiments of Blair's lyrics. Wonder if it will find it's way on to Michael's setlist. Deserves to!
Got my copy of the CD today thanks to my local record shop. Yes, they still exist and we are fortunate to have them. CD is not officially released till Monday. If you can't wait till then you can hear a short selection of 4 tracks from the album including Rester Fort at Ridge Records Listening Room -
http://www.ridge-records.com/listen_blair.htm
sorry if it's a bit of a torment! Just enough to whet your appetite for the whole album which contains some wonderful music. Enjoy.
Blair Douglas releases his fifth studio album on 9 June. Following on from the 2004 album Angels from the Ashes , the new album Stay Strong/ Bithibh Laidir / Rester Fort is a mainly song based album featuring a variety of guest vocalists such as Michael Mara, Eddi Reader, Cookie Rankin, Kathleen McInnes and Runrig’s Bruce Guthro and Rory Macdonald.
Throughout his career Blair has been a cartographer of the tradition and has put down a marker wherever the musical diaspora takes root. As an accordionist he is strongly influenced by both his own rich Gaelic instrumental heritage and Cajun music culture – two strands of musical and cultural traditions closely linked, in Blair’s view. Stay Strong/ Bithibh Laidir / Rester Fort manifests this link in music and song – the language of cultural expression. Blair provided some answers to questions about the making of the album. This was part of a much larger interview published in the Runrig Magazine – The Wire, in May 2008.
THE NEW ALBUM, STAY STRONG – BITHIBH LAIDIR/RESTER FORT , IS NOW RELEASED. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE WAY IT HAS TURNED OUT?
I am extremely happy with the album. It is always hard, when working as a solo artist, to know if the material is up to standard. You rely a lot on your own instincts and hope for the best! The singers and musicians have all been wonderful and Robin Rankin has done a brilliant job on the production side as well. When you are working with real talent, it is much easier to achieve your musical goals. I suppose now it’s a case of – ‘let the people decide!!’
AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT FROM THE OUTSET, CAN YOU GIVE SOME BACKGROUND?
The recording process began about a year ago. Sound designer Robin Rankin co-produced it with me – I really enjoy working with him. He's done a top class job on the recording and production. I decided to go with more songs this time round, and we have brought in different vocalists – Rory, Bruce, Michael Marra,
Eddi Reader, Kathleen MacInnes, Arthur Cormack, and Cookie Rankin from the Rankin Family in Cape Breton. There’s a strong Cajun/Louisiana influence to the material – I have also used the New Orleans NightCrawlers brass section, and members of the Cajun band, L’Angelus, on one song. Recordings have taken place in Skye, Glasgow, Orkney, Sweden, Louisiana, Nashville, and Nova Scotia! ALSO SOME OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS?
Yes, the instrumentalists also include – Gordon Gunn (fiddle), Colin Tully (sax – Colin was a member of seminal Glasgow band Cado Belle), Gary West (pipes), Dougie Pincock (whistles), Eddie McGuire (alto flute), Mairi Rankin, and Wendy MacIsaac, (Cape Breton fiddlers). I’m also pleased to say that Malcolm features on it as well, plus my own children, Iain and Ceitidh!
YOUR THINKING BEHIND THE ALBUM TITLE?
The album is called Stay Strong – Bithibh Laidir/Rester Fort . Hopefully this reflects the general theme runningthrough the album, and echoes this sentiment, Bithibh Laidir and Rester Fort being the respective Gaelic andFrench translations of Stay Strong .
AND THE TRACKS?
Tracks include: Martyn in Mind – written in memory of musician, Martyn Bennett; Soldier’s Lullaby –written for Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was killed in Iraq; Tonn nan Deur (Wave of Tears) – in memory of the family members who died in Uist during the great storm of 2005; Baile Mabou, nam Mìle Bàidh, (Mabou of the Boundless Hospitality); Rester Fort, la Nouvelle Orleans – Stay Strong, New Orleans. I wrote it in French, a new experience for me.
