Reviews
By Rob Howard 24 May 06
Roya MacLean, at the age of 16, is busy north of the border winning championships, and looks a force to be reckoned with if and when she enters the NAO UK Championships in Scarborough. On this, her first CD, Roya demonstrates that she clearly understands the heart of the nation’s traditional music, with performances that include lively dance tempos, sensitively played slower pieces and also some accordion ‘classics’ .
The jigs, reels, marches and waltzes are all played in good dance tempos, and Roya sensibly resists the temptation to blast ‘hell for leather’ through them. Monti’s Czardas, Emile Vacher’s La Sportive and Pietro Deiro’s Trieste Overture are performed with spirit and finger fluency, and add variety to the otherwise essentially Scottish programme. The CD ends with The Flying Scotsman, that great party piece originally recorded by Arthur Spink many years ago. Three of my favourite tunes are included: The Dark Island, Kate Martin’s Waltz and Margaret’s Waltz (the latter composed by Pat Shuldham-Shaw, the greatest of the English folk dance music composers), so that was an extra plus for me.
This very enjoyable recording features Roya’s accordion, with a neat piano accompaniment played by Roya herself, and drums by Grant Lyall. Addie Harper Junior capably engineered the recording, producing a very good sound quality. The arrangements (by Roya) are straightforward, with no attempt to add superfluous flashy bits, and the end result is all better for this. Well done, Roya – a first class job all round.
Tracks: Reels; 2/4 marches; Czardas; The Dark Island/Kate Martin’s Waltz; Jigs; Gay Gordons; La Sportive; Slow Air; Reels; 6/8 Marches; Margaret’s Waltz/Waltz for Kylin; Trieste Overture; Jigs; Highland Catherdral; 2/4 Marches; The Flying Scotsman.
Featured in the Accordion Profile, Accordion Times and Accordion World Magazines
By Judith Linton 24 May 06
This is the debut CD from sixteen-year-old accordionist Roya MacLean from Muir-of-Ord. She has won many Junior Championship titles over the last few years and was a nominee for the 2005 Guest Artist of the Year award.
Roya plays accordion, piano and bass and is joined by drummer Grant Lyall on a few of the tracks, of which we get sixteen in total. This is a mixed music recording ranging from traditional jigs, reels, marches and waltzes to the more technical pieces including Czardas, La Sportive and Trieste Overture, and the popular Flying Scotsman, Highland Cathedral and Margaret’s Waltz.
There is no doubt that Roya has an immense musical aptitude for the accordion and piano and there have not been many young female accordionists breaking into the scene in recent years. For some reason it seems to be mostly a male dominated instrument. (I look forward to see Roya as a band leader in the future). Here on this recording Roya shows maturity beyond her young years in her playing, which can go only from strength to strength as she gains experience. She is obviously dedicated to her music and this comes over in her playing.
I have enjoyed listening to this recording – she is still very young but I can see her being a big star of the future.
Featured in the Box and Fiddle Magazine