The Shetland band Shoormal take their name from a word which, in the Shetland dialect, means “where the shore meets the sea.” On Migrant, the band writes and sings about hope, spring following winter, and sunrise breaking the dark, often incorporating religious undercurrents into the music as well.
Shoormal is a multi-generational band. Leader Joyce McDill is old enough to be a grandmother, but much of the band appears to be fairly young in the pictures. The defining element of the band’s sound is the three-part harmonies of McDill, Freda Leask, and Donna Smith. McDill sings lead on half the songs and writes most of the lyrics, but Leask’s high voice and distinctive brogue provide a firm counterpoint to McDill’s rich alto. Shoormal has several instrumentalists as well, led by guitarist Trevor Smith, and including Gordon Tulloch (guitar), Gregg Arthur (keyboards and accordion), May Gair (bass) and Christopher Anderson (drums). Contrary to what one might expect from a Shetland band on the Greentrax label, Migrant is not an album of traditional Scottish music. Instead, Shoormal dabbles in acoustic pop, country, and soft jazz, competently handling all three styles.
The opening song “Angel Whispers” immediately sets the tone for the album, with soft strumming on the guitar, a bit of accompaniment on accordion and mandolin and those vocal harmonies, which evoke the Dixie Chicks more than anything specifically Celtic. McDill wrote this song of hope for her first grandson. “Walking in the Mist” is a bit darker and a touch jazzy, with a prominent upright bass and some deft guitar playing. “Bohus” tells the story of a German ship that crashed on the shores of one of the Shetlands in 1924. The song opens with a narrative from an eyewitness. Freda Leask handles the lead vocals here, singing in the Shetland dialect and happily showing off her brogue.
“Gaslight” was inspired by the painting “Lamplight” by Victor Passmore. This song also has a slightly dark, jazzy feel to it, reflecting the opening line, “Darkness has fallen on me without noticing.” The more upbeat “Last of the Light” recalls a walk along the beach at night just before winter. In the waltzy “Dreamer’s Dance,” McDill converses with an ex-lover from a relationship that never really got off the ground. The guitar playing remains solid, but the accordion really could have been used to better effect in this song.
The country song “Too Late,” Donna Smith’s one songwriting contribution to the CD, bounces along at a steady pace and features some nice interplay between piano and guitar. Leask again sings lead in the Shetland dialect on “Laeverick (Skylark),” a piano ballad about welcoming the coming day. This is followed by the title song “Migrant,” another breakup song from the pen and voice of Joyce McDill.
“Eden,” another jazzy number, begins with McDill singing with only Trevor Smith’s guitar accompanying, with bass and drums added for an instrumental break in the middle. This song moves especially well, thanks to Smith’s slick picking, and is one of the album’s two strongest tracks. The other really strong track, “Pilgrim,” follows immediately afterwards. Inspired by a man who travels the world carrying a twelve-foot cross, “Pilgrim” is upbeat and hopeful. Even some nonbelievers might find themselves singing along to the album’s catchiest tune. Migrant closes with the moody “Between Weathers.” Here, McDill relates the period after a breakup to the month of March, when snow still covers the ground and the leaves are bare, but spring is coming.
While Migrant does not suffer from any obvious weakness, the album does not really distinguish itself as something special, either. The music is quite pleasant, but one could argue that it is too pleasant and not really challenging. Having said that, any fan of straightforward female harmonies will find this worth a listen, and Trevor Smith is a first-rate guitarist as well. People looking for something light and melodic, in a mainstream, non-traditional sort of way, could do much worse than Shoormal.
[Scott Gianelli]
(Greentrax, 2003)
