Thanks to everyone who came and supported me last night at my Broken Sky album launch. It was a great night. I was truly honoured that so many friends joined me on stage and that nearly a couple hundred folk turned up. Here are a couple reviews of the evening:
The Scotsman
by David Pollock
It doesn't feel like back-slapping to describe David Ferrard as a generous guy. The Scots-American singer-songwriter organises benefit CDs and songwriting projects in aid of the Stop the War Coalition, and at this launch party for his album Broken Sky he was almost more concerned with giving his friends a turn in the spotlight. In the best traditions of folk club jamming, there was an air of informality in the way everyone mucked in and threw their differing styles and talents together.
Ferrard, a native of North Carolina now settled in Edinburgh, has a crisp, tuning-fork voice which might see him credibly compared to James Taylor, strong but soothing all at once. Across the bluegrass rag of Handsome Molly and the murder ballad/train song One Hell of a Ride his vocal was not overpowered by ever-more-complex arrangements. Nor did it fail to do justice to a finale of Woody Guthrie's Peace Call alongside local elder statesman Roy Bailey.
Ferrard's politics are apparent on (the sadly absent) Karine Polwart's co-composition The Hour of Plenty. The show was sweetened further by the gorgeous Irish tones of Michelle Burke, the Scots balladry of Edinburgh duo The Cast, and Kim Edgar, whose nostalgic The House on the Hill was written with Emma Pollock.
Comment: I am very pleased with the above review, but I am not from North Carolina, and The Hour Of Plenty is not a co-write with Karine Polwart. She sings backing vocals on the album recording. I wanted to make that clear in case anyone thinks I am spreading misinformation!
Graeme Scott
DJ @ Leith FM & Writer @ Blues Matters Magazine
This concert was to effectively launch the new and rather excellent album "Broken Sky". However David had invited along many of the top class musicians who played on the recording and they joined him on stage in variable combinations. This augmented the sound for sure and David also gave those artists space to showcase a song or two from their own repertoire. So we, the audience, were treated to feast of Roots, Folk, Americana and contemporary singer/songwriters and some very classy music. Just to get some of the names out of the way there were Josh Goforth, Laura Boosinger, Roy Bailey, Kim Edgar, Yvonne Lyon, James Ross, Karen Dietz, The Cast and Sandy Butler. So you can see that the company was very high quality.
Let us leave aside those artists and concentrate on the reason we were all there. David Ferrard may well be a new name to you but that will not last long. He is a very accomplished writer with a clutch of songs ranging from lovely traditional ballads, biting protest anti war and globalisation anthems on through to heartbreaking paeans and musings of loves and friendships lost. It is often hard to think back the next day to which songs impressed you the most but not today. 'Dimitri's Pocket Radio' as fine a song about asylum seekers being overlooked as just simply human beings as you will ever hear. There can be few that were not reflecting on the futility of war to the strains of 'Hills Of Virginia'. Often couples fail to allow themselves time to concentrate on themselves and 'Take Me Out Waltzing Tonight' speaks volumes on those forgotten needs. Highlight of David's own songs was the powerful, sad and haunting 'Never Let Go'. Written with sensitive understanding it tells the story of a man who has lost so much to AIDS. I could go on but will simply end by saying seek out this artist and album.
The Scotsman
by David Pollock
It doesn't feel like back-slapping to describe David Ferrard as a generous guy. The Scots-American singer-songwriter organises benefit CDs and songwriting projects in aid of the Stop the War Coalition, and at this launch party for his album Broken Sky he was almost more concerned with giving his friends a turn in the spotlight. In the best traditions of folk club jamming, there was an air of informality in the way everyone mucked in and threw their differing styles and talents together.
Ferrard, a native of North Carolina now settled in Edinburgh, has a crisp, tuning-fork voice which might see him credibly compared to James Taylor, strong but soothing all at once. Across the bluegrass rag of Handsome Molly and the murder ballad/train song One Hell of a Ride his vocal was not overpowered by ever-more-complex arrangements. Nor did it fail to do justice to a finale of Woody Guthrie's Peace Call alongside local elder statesman Roy Bailey.
Ferrard's politics are apparent on (the sadly absent) Karine Polwart's co-composition The Hour of Plenty. The show was sweetened further by the gorgeous Irish tones of Michelle Burke, the Scots balladry of Edinburgh duo The Cast, and Kim Edgar, whose nostalgic The House on the Hill was written with Emma Pollock.
Comment: I am very pleased with the above review, but I am not from North Carolina, and The Hour Of Plenty is not a co-write with Karine Polwart. She sings backing vocals on the album recording. I wanted to make that clear in case anyone thinks I am spreading misinformation!
Graeme Scott
DJ @ Leith FM & Writer @ Blues Matters Magazine
This concert was to effectively launch the new and rather excellent album "Broken Sky". However David had invited along many of the top class musicians who played on the recording and they joined him on stage in variable combinations. This augmented the sound for sure and David also gave those artists space to showcase a song or two from their own repertoire. So we, the audience, were treated to feast of Roots, Folk, Americana and contemporary singer/songwriters and some very classy music. Just to get some of the names out of the way there were Josh Goforth, Laura Boosinger, Roy Bailey, Kim Edgar, Yvonne Lyon, James Ross, Karen Dietz, The Cast and Sandy Butler. So you can see that the company was very high quality.
Let us leave aside those artists and concentrate on the reason we were all there. David Ferrard may well be a new name to you but that will not last long. He is a very accomplished writer with a clutch of songs ranging from lovely traditional ballads, biting protest anti war and globalisation anthems on through to heartbreaking paeans and musings of loves and friendships lost. It is often hard to think back the next day to which songs impressed you the most but not today. 'Dimitri's Pocket Radio' as fine a song about asylum seekers being overlooked as just simply human beings as you will ever hear. There can be few that were not reflecting on the futility of war to the strains of 'Hills Of Virginia'. Often couples fail to allow themselves time to concentrate on themselves and 'Take Me Out Waltzing Tonight' speaks volumes on those forgotten needs. Highlight of David's own songs was the powerful, sad and haunting 'Never Let Go'. Written with sensitive understanding it tells the story of a man who has lost so much to AIDS. I could go on but will simply end by saying seek out this artist and album.