Sometimes it's hard to keep up with the changes. Musicians come and musicians go. Bands memberships ebb and flow. It's the same with Wolfstone. I'm not sure how many people have played with the band over the years, but I do know that the lineup shows subtle differences from album to album. According to my calculations, Seven must be the band's seventh recording. And for the seventh time, there are changes in the players.

Still present are Duncan Chisholm, Stuart Eaglesham, Wayne Mackenzie, Stevie Saint and Andy Simmers from their last release, but now the drummer is Tony Soave. Other than that, it's business as usual for this Scottish band. Nearly 50 minutes mixing songs with instrumentals, almost everything written by the band -- a lot of good stuff that peers into the realms of both rock and folk, electric and acoustic, raucous and smooth.

On the one hand, you have Highland pipes and fiddles, while on the other there are guitars and keyboards. The repetitive strains of a traditional-sounding melody are played with gusto on traditional instruments to the accompaniment of a rocking rhythm section from the modern world. It works.

The distinctive voices of Wolfstone, particularly lead singer Eaglesham, are a great part of the band's attraction. And just as the music bridges different worlds, the approach to singing is equally hard to pinpoint. These fellows could be equally at home in many a different genre. It seems that Wolfstone plays the music it likes and not what it's told to play. I like that.

Although there is a degree of obscurity in some of the lyrics, the songs frequently conjure potent images ("Petals they are falling boys/within a red hot blaze" in a song that deals with Paesschendaele.) The imagery continues in the instrumental tracks which occasionally bear truly obscure titles ("J-Time", "Quinie Fae Ryhnie" and more.)

It is always a pleasure to hear a new Wolfstone album and Seven is no exception.

[ by Jamie O'Brien ]