Roberts, Alasdair

***Since 2001, ALASDAIR ROBERTS has busily pursued the path of his ancestors, down the many and varied byways of Scottish traditional music—and of English and Irish traditional music as well, all of which have fed the American folk tradition from its earliest days. Over the past 15 years, Alasdair has released eight albums of self-written material and interpretations of traditional song alike, all played in a diversity of electric and acoustic arrangements, bringing a modern thrust to the music while honoring the many singers from whom this material was learned and adapted. Following the acoustic austerity of his self-titled 2015 release, Alasdair’s applied himself to electric guitar and band once again for his ninth album, Pangs. Alasdair Roberts and Friends were deep within the epic song approaches of the widely-acclaimed A Wonder Working Stone (2013) when last heard creating music of such scope. While similarly broad in range, Pangs brings different forms of song-craft and modes of collaboration again. Recorded in Ireland with JULIE MACLAMON, Pangs finds Alasdair in a power trio beside his long-time musical partners ALEX NEILSON on drums and STEVIE JONES on bass (and he turns his hand to piano and organ too). Along with guests DEBBIE AMOUR, TOM CROSSLEY, RAFE FITZPATRICK and JESSICA KERR, they summon up a powerful—and powerfully gorgeous—storm over ten new songs. (STREET DATE - 2/24/2017)