Andrea Beaton has just released a new CD in conjunction with her father. Just called “Kinnon & Andrea Beaton”, it contains 11 powerful duets, well-selected and carefully paced.

This is Beaton music at it best, giving you a good cross-section of old and traditional tunes, mixed liberally with contemporary material, including several of their own compositions, as well as tunes from other members of the extended Beaton family.

Other than the two fiddles, the only instrumentation is Betty Beaton (Kinnon’s wife and Andrea’s mother) on piano and Sandy MacDonald on guitar. The playing is well matched, particularly on the older Mabou Coal Mines-style tunes. Only occasionally does their variance in style show, though, and you can hear slight differences in bowing or ornamentation that allow you to tell one from the other.

This is a great CD, produced by Kinnon and Andrea and recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios by Mike Shepherd. For fiddle fans, this is a winner, and will likely be a welcome gift. If you want to hear them live, Andrea, Kinnon, Betty Beaton and Joel Chiasson are playing for a dance at the Boisdale Firehall, Dec. 26.

Another one of the extended Beaton clan has also just released a new CD. Well, it’s new in one sense. Glenn Graham’s “Decade {A Compilation}” is a celebration of his more than 10 years in the music business full time. Containing one new cut, it is mainly a collection of material recorded and released on his four previous CDs, “Let ’er Rip”, “Step Outside”, “Drive” and “Traditionally Rockin’” (the latter a co-production with his cousin Rodney MacDonald).
The CD includes three vocal numbers by his sister Amy Graham (“Whispers from Heaven”, “Tomorrow”, and the previously unreleased “Silent Heroes”) and one from Glenn (”Little Donald’s Wife”). The other 14 cuts are all fiddle, including duets with Rodney and trio combinations with Glenn, Rodney and their uncle Kinnon Beaton. Trust me when I say that there is some powerful (and very pleasing) music in here.

It’s hard to describe “Decade” as a greatest hits recording, but in reality, it is. These are the fan favourites, the cuts that got airplay and are still requested. This is the music that shows the essence of Glenn Graham and his talents.
By the way, Glenn Graham and Friends will be playing for a dance at the Cedar’s Club in Sydney, Saturday night.

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