New Low Country Boys CD

The Low Country Boys from east Co. Down have just released their latest gospel CD, 'No lang tae go', which is good listening and good reading. The generous sixteen tracks include familiar material ('Rock of ages', 'Angel band', 'Down to the river', 'Shield of faith', 'Leaning [on the Everlasting Arms]') along with original tunes and songs: the four instrumentals include a banjo tune, 'Granda's 35'. Several songs and the final spoken track, which retells the story of the prodigal son, are in Ulster Scots.

The CD notes are a storehouse of local history, with many evocative photos of life in the Low Country of east Down last century, or earlier - two pages deal with the 1798 rising and its background. Note the banjo mandolin bought from Matchett's of Belfast in 1938, and the original invoice; you can probably still buy a similar instrument there, but not for £1.25...

Gibson Young and Ivan McFerran have a good sound here, with a particularly nice blend on the vocal harmonies. Guest musicians appear on flute, snare drum, pipes, and guitar. Since the recording, the band has been augmented to a three-piece with dobro guitar; details are on the Low Country Boys blog. The CD can be bought online or from selected shops (listed here), from the News Letter, or at Low Country Boys concerts.