All four of the players in Piper's Crow are superb musicians in their own right, and what comes through in listening to this CD is that it is definitely a band CD; it is definitely a team effort, and everyone has a chance to shine. The layered approach the band takes in adding instruments to the overall mix is very carefully thought out, as are the harmony lines and musical settings. Between the four of them, the band members can muster well over a dozen different musical instruments, plus vocals, so no one single instrument dominates.

There is a nice mix of traditional tunes drawn from Scotland, Northumberland, Cape Breton, and Ireland, and several newer tunes mostly written by band members. The slow air “Mackenzie's Misfortune”, from Dick Hensold is destined to become a classic. It is a gorgeous tune with some unusual progressions, and it stays in the memory a long time after the CD has finished playing. 

The songs on the CD, “The Kirk o' Birnie Bouzle”,”The Reel of Stumpie”,“Mormond Braes”, and “My Treasure, My Delight, My Love” are all beautifully sung by Laura Mackenzie, with very sympathetic backing from the rest of the band. A couple of the tune sets feature a very sweet-sounding English concertina, an instrument which is becoming popular once again.

This is a very satisfying CD to listen to, the tune sets all go well together, and the musicians sound like they are having a lot of fun. And you can't ask for more than that.
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