We are big fans of Rura on today sees the release of their fabulous new album "Dusk Moon"
They have been teasing us with single releases over the last couple of months first releasing the track "Think of Today" to get us through January a melody composed by the band's fiddle player Jack Smedley and inspired by the poem "Journey" by Shetland Poet Christine de Lucca and then the track "The Soft Mist Over All" in February leading finally to today's release of the complete album of 9 tracks.
The band is made up of Jack Smedley on Fiddle, Steven Blake on Pipes/Whistles and Piano, Adam Brown on guitar and David Foley on bodhrán and flute.
Thematically the album covers various experiences both as a band and individually as in "Journeys Home" which is taken from the soundtrack for a short film the band were commissioned for as part of Edinburgh’s world-famous Hogmanay celebrations in 2021 or as in "Crossing" inspired by guitarist Jack Smedley's trip with the Band Mànran to Colonsay in a force 8 gale on a rib equipped with just some life jackets and a bottle of malt.
But the natural beauty of Scotland is also key inspiration and reflects the time the band has spend up in Boat of Garten in Badenoch and Strathspey and the inspiration drawn from the experience of walks in the ancient forests that surround this area of the Highlands. The Album title "Dusk Moon" is Inspired by the work of landscape artist Calum McClure who also provides the art work for the album cover.
A favorite track from the album surely has to be Hollow Ground compose by Jack Smedley with a lamenting fiddle accompanied at first by a delicate piano from Steven Blake then finishing in a crescendo with Adam Brown on guitar.
Album Summary:
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1. Journeys Home 04:58 - Melody by Steven Blake
2. Dusk Moon 05:09 - McClure's Reel (Jack Smedley)
3. Think of Today 04:32 - Jack Smedley
4. The Soft Mist Over All 04:16 - Graeme & Carly's (David Foley)
5. The Grove 04:53 - Usual time, usual place (Adam Brown / Jack Smedley), El Capitan (Steven Blake / Jack Smedley)
6. Rise 06:16 - Still We Rise (Jack Smedley), Storm Island (Steven Blake)
7. Hollow Ground 04:27 - Trees on Hollow Ground (Jack Smedley)
8. The Crossing 03:31 - Crinan to Colonsay (Jack Smedley)
9. A minor Emergency 04:09 - Billy on the Bodhran (David Foley), The House on the Hill (David Foley), The Reel o' Garten (Jack Smedley)
The band has been touring non stop around Scotland for the last month and in March will move down to England with a highlight event at King's Place in London on the 24th. That will be some concert!
Further Links & Reading:
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/christine-de-luca/