Customer Reviews

Blueprint

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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It must be tough being Natalie MacMaster. Imagine trying to continually come up with a new recording that will wow the critics, combining Cape Breton fidding with other, often opposing, genres. And it is even tougher for those of us who review her work, for we have to come up with superlatives to fit these recordings of pure genius.

Well, she has done it again, so once more I have to adquately describe what is indescrible.

"Blueprint" is an excellent work of music. It combines Cape Breton fiddle-work with...well...other music and scores big-time on every cut. Perhaps we should stop refering to MacMaster's music as "Cape Breton style" and simply call it "MacMaster style" music, since she has no hestiation in combining "traditional" fiddle music with other styles of music, and what emerges is something very unique, and very much "listenable."

A couple of quibbles with another reviewer here...a top 500 reviewer at that...First of all, there is no doubt among her fans that MacMaster is a young woman, (31 last June,) and not a girl, nor has there been for quite some time. Attend one of her concerts or simply buy her recording "My Roots Are Showing" and look at the cover photo, and you too will lose any doubts. And secondly, I happen to think that "Touch Of The Master's Hand" on this recording is a pretty good song, and one I have already listen too several times. A bit bluegrass, yes, and I found it strange that following the line "You could hear the angels sing," when you would expect soft, sweet music, MacMaster comes in with a rocking fiddle. Not bad, not by any means, it just didn't seem to fit as well as I thought. The whole song actually reminds of the Charlie Daniels Band's song,"The Devil Went Down To Georgia" but I am not claiming there is any connection, just that something triggers the memory.

All the songs are worthy, but one that can truly put a lump in your throat is the very last one on the album, "My Love, Cape Breton And Me." This is a beautiful song sung by MacMaster's cousin, (written by her uncle) and actually doesn't even need MacMaster to be beautiful. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we hear much more from Kate Quinn in the future. She has a truly beautiful voice.

One minor departure from the "normal" MacMaster recording, is that many of tunes used were actually written by MacMaster herself. Not a problem, since her experience with the genre has left her with a pretty good ear (to say the least) and she mixes her stuff with older music (or at least other music) splendidly.

And that sums up "Blueprint" very well...Everything works perfectly. Natalie MacMaster has further cemented her claim to the be the "Queen of Fiddlers" very well with this album. And that is a good enough reason to listen to it...

Natalie MacMaster is a true musical treasure whose talent is extremely underexposed to our American culture, for her Celtic fiddle playing is extraordinary. I know, for I have witnessed it with both my ears and my eyes.

Featuring this outstanding fiddle playing is Natalie's latest studio release,Blueprint. It is on the Rounder Records label, a name that might draw a response in the nature of "Where have I seen that name before?" For those of you who might be wondering, Rounder also features Joan Osborne since her departure from Mercury/Polygram, as well as the latest recordings of the lovely Alison Krauss, whom I often compare with Ms. MacMaster. In fact, many might regard Natalie MacMaster as being, in many ways, Canada's counterpart to Alison Krauss, or, in turn, Alison Krauss as being the American counterpart to Natalie MacMaster.
Enough, already!! They're both fabulous!!

As for the Blueprint CD, featured are the great musicians who have been tightly associated with Ms. Krauss and other leading names in traditional and contemporary bluegrass. Among them are Bela Fleck of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and Jerry Douglas, who is widely known as "the world's greatest dobro player".

In this package is versatility, a little something for people of all age groups to enjoy. The tunes range from the ancient Scottish tradition rhythms appreciated in Natalie's beloved Cape Breton to more contemporary tunes that are essentially categorized as Neobluegrass fused in with the lightning-fast Celtic fiddle playing that only Ms. MacMaster can patent.

As a whole, Blueprint is an excellent CD that will help many an avid listener from America or from another similar culture to acquire a new musical appreciation for, if not a whole new musical taste in, Bluegrass and/or Celtic music.

If the CD does not quite do it for you, then go see Natalie MacMaster live. I recently attended fer performance in Smithfield, NC. Her arrangements were some of the best I have ever seen in a live show. At the very least, she is truly amazing with her athleticism on stage and her ability to create energy in concert without missing a note.

Natalie MacMaster is a true all-around entertainer, and if you don't believe me, then I say, again,"Go see her perform!!!" You will be amazed. I promise.

The cover photo of Natalie MacMaster on "Blueprint" declares what her previous studio CD, "In My Hands," suggested: she's a woman now, not a girl, and is able to audaciously apply her mastery of Cape Breton fiddling to other musical styles. To listen to her trading licks with bluegrass/Americana legends like Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck (listen to "Gravel Shore") is, for a fan of both bluegrass and Cape Breton music, something close to heaven. There's no question that Natalie is a worthy member of this group--her fiddling is masterful, self-confident and never puts a foot wrong.
This is a classic crossover album, and strict Cape Breton fiddling traditionalists who liked Natalie's "My Roots are Showing" and the second disk of her Live album may not be pleased (though a couple of numbers, like "Jig Party" are close to traditional). But if it isn't too presumptuous for a non-Cape Bretoner to say so, I think this CD captures the spirit of the genre (listen to the jet-propelled strathspeys, for example, in "A Blast"). Even though she has the assistance of bluegrass artists, Natalie imports her traditional fiddling style into a different setting: there's no way you could mistake her for a traditional or bluegrass fiddler--Aubrey Haynie, for example.
If you love Cape Breton traditional music, buy this CD because you'll be blown away by where a Cape Breton master has taken this music. If you love modern bluegrass, buy this CD because you'll hear your favorite artists play bluegrass and some other truly awesome music that you may never have heard before. Either way, you're going to love this album!

MacMaster has done it again. I own two of her other CD's A Compilation and In My Hands. What drawed me to this CD was that Touch of the Master's Hands was on it. I was first introduced to this song when my grandfather pasted away, and they sung it for him. I have yet to hear a better version of it than what MacMaster has done. Along with the other songs on the wonderful CD, it makes a wonderful, and enjoyable listen. One thing that I did notice was that it differed from her other CD's a little bit, but that's a good thing in some ways. Too say the least, a wonderful job done.

I got this CD for Christmas and haven't stopped listening to it. This is Natalie at her best! The track "My Love, Cape Breton and Me," which is the only vocal, just brought tears to my eyes. Everything this woman does is gorgeous, and her soul shines through!

WOW! MacMaster's muse is on a magnificent journey. Musical genre benders Bela Fleck, Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Mike Marshall, Victor Wooten, and others join Natalie and have a blast with Cape Breton infused bluegrass. Or is it bluegrass infused Cape Breton fiddle music? Or is it jazz/bluegrass banjo with a Celtic fiddle twist? It's best to forget the genres and know that you're hearing some of the best North American musicians inspire Natalie MacMaster to play some of her hottest licks ever. Fiddle master Darol Anger has produced a brilliant 57 minutes and we get to hear MacMaster move on to new heights of inspired music. If you liked her last cd's you're sure to like this one. If you haven't heard her others, this is a great place to start. (Caution: if you listen to this while driving you may have difficulty holding onto the steering wheel at times.)

This is a very enjoyable mix of Cape Breton fiddles with contemporary bluegrass a la Bela et al. As a fan of both genres, it is great to hear these musical cousins melding their styles and sensibilities. Well worth a buy and many listens.

This is an amazing disc, with a good showing by all. I love Celtic music, I love new grass, any disc with Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Jerry Douglas on it is worth buying, even if they were playing with Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson (Uhmm...like I thought a Dobro was like an extinct bird or something....). However, despite the I-just-escaped-from-a-Mary-Kay-convention look of the cover, Macmaster is amazing. The tone is sweet and the speed is amazing. As a side note, Victor Wooten steals the show, he emulates a bhouran (Irish Frame Drum) and also plays a duet with Natalie. Amazing. I would have to agree that the "master's hand" is at best dopey, and after wading through the grating lyrics I was disappointed not to hear some kind of killer violin solo. This is the exception though and is easily solved by hitting the skip track button. Awesome album...definitely worthwhile

The music is full of energy and such intelligence! I played some of it for my music students so we could try and identify all the different instruments. Those 13 year olds loved this music!

I've seen Natalie in concert, and have a bunch of her disks. I really like this one. There is a bit of modern to it, but it isn't so rocked out that it isn't enjoyable. A very nice mix.