Search - John R. Bannerman, English Traditional, Scottish Traditional :: Folk Songs from Scotland's Heritage

Will ye no come back again?

Steven Keller | Fairview Heights, Illinois, USA | 04/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kenneth McKellar cannot sing a sour note - his tone is always sweet and his intonation perfect. McKellar can sing heroically or scale his voice down to a whisper - either way his pitch is perfect. These two albums from 1964 and 1967 demonstrate McKellar's range both musically and interpretively. Scotland and Scotland's Heritage are brought together for the first time and published on compact disc for the first time. Of course, as the titles of the albums signify, these are mostly traditional Scottish songs with a few "composed" songs thrown in (e.g., "My Ain Folk", "The Rowan Tree", etc.). These songs are in McKellar's blood and their delivery is well nigh perfect. McKellar's "Will ye no come back again" will melt you - I've never heard it sung with such pathos! "Loch Lomond" and "Blue Bells of Scotland" are taken at a slower pace than usual and the poignancy of the lyrics is expressed so beautifully.



It is such a pleasure that Vocalion has reissued so many of McKellar's Decca recordings - it is time that we rediscover this wonderful musician (not that we have forgotten him, but many of his recordings have not been available until Vocalion came along). I believe that McKellar will come to be thought of as one of the finest tenors of the mid-twentieth century - the fact that he did not go head over heals into opera notwithstanding.



The accompaniments by Bob Sharples and Peter Knight perfectly compliment the spirit of the music. If at times the orchestra sounds a bit schmaltzy, remember these songs were recorded in a gentler time and just sit back and enjoy the nostalgia! Decca's stereo is, as usual perfect and the Vocalion transfers are the best. Any lover of great singing will love these recordings.

"