Uncluttered and genuinely pretty, this CD and book set by harpist Anne Roos will make your life much easier if you happen to need a present for a mermaid aficionado. But even if you don't, the quiet, old-world sounds of a Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, viola and concertina ensemble are still welcome in a busy and stressful world that no longer has many direct ties to either mermaids or mariners.

As suggested by the title, Mermaids & Mariners is a collection of 15 instrumental pieces based on a nautical theme. Most are traditional Celtic and European melodies like "Skye Boat Song" and "Who Can Sail Without the Wind," interpreted with simplicity and feeling; others seamlessly incorporate newly composed passages into old melodies. A few, like the opener "The Mermaid's Tears" and the wistful "Adieu Mon Chou (Farewell My Cabbage)" -- which, according to the liner notes, is a French term of endearment -- are original compositions, though they sound convincingly traditional.

Perhaps because of the predominance of harp and viola, the tracks tend to be on the plaintive side; the dirge-like treatment of O'Carolan's already solemn "The Seas are Deep" is particularly melancholic. There are a few livelier dances -- the Irish polka "Ger the Rigger" and the latter half of "Maid on the Shore" -- to stir things up a bit, but the recording is overall more contemplative than energetic.

That's not a bad thing. Without exception, all 15 pieces are pleasantly unfussy, well arranged and well played. Roos's luminous harp, especially on the ballad "I'll Cross the Stormy Sea," is lovely alone or in combination with the textures of the deep-throated viola, folksier fiddle, concertina and guitar. Although the individual tracks are not particularly distinctive at first, the CD as a whole evokes the cozy taproom of an old-fashioned inn on a winter's evening.

As an added bonus, the small hardcover book in which the CD comes -- although little more than exceptionally nice and durable liner notes -- is beautifully designed with early 20th-century woodcuts of mermaids and ships. With gentle humor and thoughtfulness, the notes offer detailed background stories on each of the tracks, extended artist biographies, and thorough documentation for both music and images. Definitions of terms like "capstan shanty" and "rigger" are considerately included for landlubbers!

Mermaids & Mariners does not arrest the attention so much as it beguiles it. Unpretentious, invitingly warm and thoroughly pleasant to listen to, this is a perfect CD to unwind to. The packaging makes it ideal for gift giving, but you may well end up keeping it for your own collection.

by Jennifer Mo
Rambles.NET
5 May 2007