Search - Various Artists :: Heart of Scotland: Coll of Gaelic Songs

This compilation (16 tracks with 16 artists or groups) is drawn from Scotland's wide-ranging independent label Greentrax. It explores both traditional music and the modern performers who have accepted and extended its inspiration. Scotland has a proud, rich, and ancient tradition of folk music--two traditions, really: highland and lowland--including dances, fiddle tunes, mournful ballads in Gaelic and English and, above all, the music of bagpipes (which Scots call simply "pipes") and the unique "mouth music" where the voice behaves like a musical instrument to accompany dancing. The listener hears a panoramic variety of performers and styles and is implicitly invited to pick a few to explore in more depth in the label's extensive catalog. Most will find plenty to like. --Joe McLellan