In 2012, two of Scotland’s favourite folk musicians, Màiri Morrison and Alasdair Roberts, released Urstan, an album of songs in Scots Gaelic. The pair came together with the help of Ceol’s Craic, a Glasgow club dedicated to promoting Gaelic arts to wider audiences. Urstan was a meeting of like minds, a perfect slice of synchronicity: Roberts was a non-Gaelic speaking Lowlander and had never sung in the language before meeting Morrison, who hails from the Isle of Lewis and is a native speaker. Roberts was eager to learn a new skill, Morrison was keen to give voice to her heritage, and the resulting album was a triumph, hugely accomplished but entirely fresh and unprocessed.
In the intervening years, both Morrison and Roberts have been busy: Roberts is one of the most prolific collaborators in folk music as well as one of the most highly-regarded solo performers, while Morrison balances her singing career with a parallel life as an actress and playwright. But given the acclaim that Urstan garnered, it seemed only a matter of time before the pair shared studio space again. The result of their reunion is Remembered in Exile. Subtitled Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia, it came about after the pair travelled to Canada in 2023 at the suggestion of Nova Scotian musician Pete Johnston to work on a collection of songs with transatlantic roots. Many of these ten songs were originally collected by folklorist Helen Creighton and display the direct links between the history, culture and language of Scotland and eastern Canada.
There is a split between Gaelic and English language songs; Morrison takes the lead on most of the former, while the latter are shared. Opener Màiri nighean Dòmhnaill sets out the blueprint, with Morrison’s singing carrying a sweet, almost nostalgic melody while Roberts’ voice dips in and out. The backing is loping DIY folk, with drums that lend a subtle folk-rock edge to proceedings. In the song’s final seconds, everything falls away, leaving only Morrison’s quietly confident tones. Right from the start, we know we’re in for something special.
Druimfhionn donn repeats the trick in reverse, beginning with just Morrison’s voice and then bringing in Roberts, before the instruments chime in one at a time with wonderfully dramatic results. The atmospheric drone of Andrew Killawee’s harmonium cuts through the song’s heart, sounding both ancient and experimental. The harmonium combined with the two voices creates something strange and powerful, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the haunting Uilleam Glen, where the singers trade verses in their respective languages. The vocal interplay is even more pronounced on Hi horò ’s na hòro h-eile: in the chorus, the two voices seem to twine around each other, equal parts sad and playful.
The folk-rock sound is most evident on the electric guitar-led The Bonny House of Airlie, which showcases Roberts’ distinctive, delicate singing as well as Pete Johnston’s intricate double bass and Sarah Frank’s fiddle. Sir Neil and Glengyle sees Morrison take the lead vocal part on a long and rangy (and typically tragic) ballad defined by the tenderness of its performance and by a certain fluidity. You barely notice Mike Smith’s banjo grows in prominence and then recedes, only to be replaced by the fiddle.
Johnston’s role on Remembered in Exile shouldn’t be ignored. Aside from his role as facilitator, his bass underpins many of these songs, including the long and complex Katharine Jaffray, where his playing is minimal and unshowy yet crucial, allowing the singers and other instrumentalists to create intricate decorations.
Hind Horn is perhaps the most well-known song on the album. Roberts has history with it: he recorded a version with the Furrow Collective, with Rachel Newton on lead vocals. But this is an unusual arrangement, quietly powerful with a rambling melody and surprising interjections of fiddle. Peggy Gordon is full of gentle yearning, the perfect vehicle for Roberts’ voice and acoustic guitar, but also gives space for Jake Oelrichs’ restrained but powerful drumming. Closing track, The Soldier’s Adieu, sees Morrison and Roberts singing together, largely unaccompanied except for a mournful fiddle. It’s a striking example of how to wring intense emotions from the most minimal of ingredients, and it provides a fitting finish for a beautiful, glimmering album.
Remembered in Exile: Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia (April 25th, 2025) Drag City
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