On her fifth solo CD, Wendy Weatherby delves deeper into the twin streams she's pursued on her other work -- performing (mostly) traditional folk songs and instrumental pieces where her glorious cello playing can shine. At times, as on "Willie Wastle" (penned by Robert Burns), the two come together. Her material is drawn from her native Scotland, although some of it is more widely known, and it's to her credit that she manages to put her own stamp on pieces like "Alison Gross" and "Helen O'Kirkconnel." Her own compositions are aired here, too, and excellent they are, working well with a small ensemble. The unaccompanied "John Hielandman" offers some lovely vocal harmony work, courtesy of Weatherby herself, and on "Tam's Swagger" she makes the cello sing and soar as elegantly as any fiddle. Weatherby might not be breaking any new ground here, but that's unimportant. She's refined what she does so well that it's an unalloyed pleasure.
© Chris Nickson /TiVo