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"Julie Mainstone hails from the strong Gaelic tradition in Nova Scotia, and this, her debut CD, reflects her deep knowledge and mastery of the art of ballad singing. Her
gorgeous soprano is well matched with these old songs, and the arrangements, for guitar, fiddle, pipes, and whistle are spare enough to let her singing shine through.
© 2005 JulieMainstone.com
"Julie Mainstone hails from the strong Gaelic tradition in Nova Scotia, and this, her debut CD, reflects her deep knowledge and mastery of the art of ballad singing. Her gorgeous soprano is well matched with these old songs, and the arrangements, for guitar, fiddle, pipes, and whistle are spare enough to let her singing shine through.
"..one of the most beautiful Celtic voices I have ever heard."
"Under the mentoring of Randal Bays, Seattle's Julie Mainstone makes a fine recording debut with this collection of ten traditional songs from the United Kingdom and one contemporary song. Mainstone and Bays brought into the Jack Straw studio Chicago's John Williams on accordion and flute, and from Seattle Tom Creegan on uilleann pipes and Leo MacNamara on whistles. The arrangements provide a wonderfully sparse context for Mainstone's powerful voice. Her superb articulation, perfect intonation, and controlled vibrato reflect her classical training background (she began vocal lessons at eleven). She is at her best here singing "House Carpenter" and the "un-emigrant" "Emigrant Song", wherein a wife convinces her Wisconsin-bound husband to stay in Ireland on the farm. She also turns in an entirely credible a cappella version of Mary MacPherson's "Nuair Bha Mi Og (When I Was Young)." With less than three years of conscious effort to sing in this style, Mainstone is soaking up the culture and musical history of Ireland in particular, and it's clear that she will be a major interpreter. "Cross the Field" shows that classical singing and the traditional style can mesh. Look for Mainstone in song circles in the Seattle area.