Cairns, Maryen: One Woman Band - Live at Echotown Studios Vol 1

I recently reviewed the album Anew by acoustic storyteller Maryen Cairns, the results being an austere but beguiling album that plays strongly to this lady’s talents. Here with One Woman Band - Live At Echotown Studios Vol 1, Cairns has stripped things back even further, working alone on stage in front of a select crowd, who it would appear have been edited out of the end results. Without that audience interaction, while the approach on this album is different from Cairns’ studio recordings, I’m not sure how much of the ‘live’ feel is retained.

Flitting between piano and acoustic guitar - and occasional percussion - Cairns confirms her musical ability, as well as her instrumental juggling skills, and when you factor in that she’s also singing along to everything as she goes, it’s no small feat. What this one woman set also shines a light on is the lyrical prowess to be found here, a mixture of what I guess are autobiographical tales and some stories being regaled, the likes of “Kids From The Burbs�, “The Smuggler’s Tale� and “Voices From Scotland� hit even harder than their studio counterparts.

In truth, from a purely personal perspective, music quite as stripped back as this isn’t my usual go to and impressive though each and every track presented here is, One Woman Band hasn’t really altered that fact. That said, there’s no doubting that Maryen Cairns possesses a very singular talent and has a knack of using it in a way that makes her music both involving and engaging. If lyric led acoustic workouts are of interest, you really should check this and Maryen’s other albums out.

Track Listing
1. Kids From The ‘Burbs
2. Give To The Chase
3. The Devil’s Fly
4. The Smuggler’s Tale
5. Twist
6. Missing You
7. Flew Away
8. Voices From Scotland
9. Lady Bushranger

Added: April 25th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Maryen Cairns online
Hits: 113
Language: english

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