DAVID MITCHELL – Contours (own label)

ContoursDavid Mitchell is a classical guitarist with a penchant for traditional music who is also a luthier, half of the duo Mitchell and Vincent and a member of The Monkey See Monkey Do Ceilidh Band. Contours is his debut solo album, a mix of traditional tunes, original compositions, covers and a couple of classical pieces.

David begins with two unmistakably Scottish tunes, ‘Hills Of Glenorchy/Shake The Sheets’, the first taken at a stately measure with some nice twiddles and the second speeding up somewhat. He follows those up with two very sprightly Northumbrian polkas, ‘Ward’s Braes/Holmes Fancy’. David is solo throughout and plays a guitar he made himself when learning the luthier trade. There is no indication of any studio trickery or overdubs so I’m guessing that what you hear is just how it comes as the notes tumble over each other in their bid for freedom.

‘The Sick Tune’ is a Renaissance piece sometimes attributed to John Dowland, although that is fiercely contested by people who know, and David pairs it with ‘Giga’ by Santiago de Murcia from a century or so later. ‘Lovely Joan’ is the well known traditional song to which David has added one of his own tunes, ‘Summer At Christmas’, which is driven by the bass notes and finally some full chords. Then comes ‘Si Bheag, Si Mhór’, which is a composite of versions that doesn’t lean heavily on the waltz rhythm and is rather more refined than many versions you’ll hear. ‘Capering On/Road To Thorn Valley’ are two more originals and David continues with two more appended to ‘Terry ‘Cuz’ Teehan’s’ in the ‘Away With The Seelies Set’, Seelies being a Scottish word for benevolent fairies. This is a light, restful trio of tunes.

The early 19th century provides ‘Romanza’, a brief change of style before venturing close to my old stamping ground with Steve Marsh’s pastoral ‘Lathkill Dale’. Then comes the big set, ‘Lament For Limerick/Walk In The Forest/Miniature’, a blending of tunes from three very different sources. Two old tunes, ‘My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose/Wild Mountain Thyme’, are put together although the former isn’t the familiar melody. Finally, David combines three more traditional tunes, ‘Gypsey’s Hornpipe/Banks Of The Illen/Tobago Bound’ for the closing set which brings the album to an upbeat close.

If acoustic guitar is your thing you’ll love Contours and any aspiring young players will have something to aspire to.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: https://www.davidmitchellmusician.com/

‘Lovely Joan/Summer At Christmas’ – official video:

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