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Debra
Cowan
Edinburgh's Ceilidh Culture
The Wee Folk Club, The Royal
Oak, Edinburgh
Sunday 20th March 2005
Advertised
as part of Edinburgh's Ceilidh Culture spring fling, the Wee FC had a
visit from Debra Cowan. Since the capacity of the room is around 30,
the 25 or so bodies in the audience made for a more than respectable
showing.
Californian
in origin and now settled in Massachusetts, Debra told us she had
stayed in Edinburgh for a while in 1997, when she had regularly
hosted a session in Sandy Bell's. She was obviously pleased to be
back, and played a very relaxed and comfortable gig. She opened with
an unaccompanied ballad from the singing of Frank Proffitt, a version
of the Prickly Bush story (Hangman, stay thy hand…). This
demonstrated immediately that she has a very attractive voice, clean
and true, with just a little vibrato; and that she can get inside a
traditional American ballad with conviction, and tell the story
convincingly. To these ears, this is the material that suits her
best, and she soars with it.
She also does a nice line in more
contemporary material, and regaled the room with a few from a variety
of mostly US songwriters. In the second half, she cast her net a bit
wider and we had songs learnt from Enoch Kent (The Working Man),
Louis Killen (Topman and Afterguard) and Ewan McVicar (All the Tunes
in the World).
This is a lady who is completely at home in a
folk club ambience and who likes to tell stories in song. She's also
a more than competent guitar picker, and astounded the audience by
telling us that her very nice-sounding guitar folds up in the middle
to fit into an overhead locker on a plane. (Now that could catch on!)
It was a very enjoyable evening.
Reviewed
by Brian Miller, BBC Scotland
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a review
by David Kidman from Netrhythms.co.uk
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"But
what makes Debra good is not her superb voice, nor her skillful guitar
playing, nor her varied repertoire, nor her extensive knowledge of her
music, it is, plain and simple, the fact that she loves singing, and
her passion for her music is there in every note she utters."
Nigel
Schofield,
Free Reed Records and Music (Carthy Chronicles, Fairport
unConventional)
Saltaire, UK |
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"Cowan is a
clear-voiced singer who presents songs with affection and feeling."
Dirty Linen Magazine
"It's always a treat to hear Debra Cowan...."
-Mitch Park, host "Folk on Sunday"
Radio Kidnappers,
New Zealand
".....searingly fine."
Living Tradition
Magazine, UK
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"With Deb,
it's her
great voice and delivery which is special. We had a rowdy crowded St.
Pats' night here, but Deb managed to reduce them to silence - quite
something! .......It's unusual to have
an American who has spent time over here (a lot in Scotland) and with
such a good feeling for the British/Irish tradition as
well
as her own musical culture and history. She has surprised many folks
over here 'cos of
that."
Chris
Rockliffe, Club Acoustic, Buxton, UK
"Such
is Cowan's musical net that
it can encompass various musical styles and traditions, from English
singer/songwriter Richard Thompson to traditional whaling songs, to
bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, all done so skillfully that you beg to
hear more"
N.Y. Pinewoods Folk Music Club
“Accompanied
or
unaccompanied, she presents a song with exceptional story-telling
skills and a keen understanding of traditional music that is rare
among her contemporaries."
Sandy and Caroline Paton
Folk-Legacy Records
“Refreshing. It is fun how
Cowan involves her audience in her songs. She jokes between them and
explains where the music comes from, which is good for newcomers to the
folk scene. Her range is also incredible and her acappella
interpretations are seamless I was truly impressed and as a newcomer to
the scene, I have been inspired to seek more folk music. Thank you so
much for that. It is truly a gift what she gives her audience.”
Elaine de Valle, The Miami Herald
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that
special talent which can make the old songs live again. And
though it is apparent she approaches her material with careful
thought, what the audience hears is the raw power of a sea song or the
sensitive beauty of a Child ballad. Her choice of material,
arrangements and performance is second to none."
Alan
and Helene Korolenko
Greater New Bedford Summerfest Folk Festival
"What a revelation is Ms. Cowan.
Her voice, her taste, her presentation are balming to the soul"
Philadelphia
Folksong Society
“She was the meanest teacher in
the school!”
former junior high math student
"Debra Cowan sings with emotion
and commitment, then she makes you laugh! Isn’t that what it's all
about? Debra carried on the tradition, singing in the legendary Sandy
Bells Bar, Edinburgh. What can I say? Scotland loved her!"
Christine Kydd, acclaimed Scottish singer
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