May and Mackie - Time and Tide

  by Zena Grieg

published: 8 / 9 / 2022

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Review

The Shetland country music husband and wife May and Mackie, who have performed and toured for over forty years, have brought out a new album, their fifth. Created during lockdown, recorded partly in their own home studio in Scalloway, supplemented by recordings by producer Philip Anderson in Nashville, ‘Time & Tide’ is a mix of covers with five new original compositions. Songs to look out for in this fourteen-track collection include: the catchy opener ‘Rambling Man’ with some strident vocals by Mackie and exuberant fiddle playing; ‘Keep Your Distance’, highlighted by May’s rich, emotive vocals; the powerful confessional ‘Wrong Side Of The Bed’; their own distinctive minimalist take on Joe Diffie’s ‘In My Own Backyard’; the toe-tapping ‘Don’t Tell Me’ with its energetic interplay of guitar and fiddle; ‘Arabella (For Bella)’ with its intricate guitar intro and flourishes; the Appalachian-influenced melodic ‘Sad Looking Moon’; the traditional country love song ‘Sweet Symphony’; the uplifting ‘ Long Road Home’ with its lyrics of resilience: “You will find your way/But it’s a long way home”; the Cajun-tinged ‘Gonna Get a Life”; and the emotive ‘Gulf Coast Highway’ bringing this evocative record to conclusion. Worth repeated listening, ‘Time & Tide’ is a versatile, harmonious collection by these well-established popular musicians.

Track Listing:-

1 Rambling Man
2 Storms Never Last
3 Wrong Side of the Track
4 In My Own Back Yard
5 . Don't Tell Me
6 . Keep Your Distance
7 . Arabella (For Bella)
8 Sad Looking Moon
9 . I Love Only You
10 Up All Night Crying
11 Sweet Symphony
12 Long Road Home
13 Gonna Get a Life
14 . Gulf Coast Highway

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/events/legion