A New Matt and Shannon Heaton for St. Patrick's Day

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MATT and SHANNON HEATON

Tell You in Earnest

www.mattandshannonheaton.com

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Just in time for St. Paddy’s Day–a new CD by Matt and Shannon Heaton. This Boston-based duo is best known for their spirited instrumental duets–Matt on various guitars and bouzouki, and Shannon on flute and accordion. This time, though, they dust off their vocal chops on a tight ten-track release themed on conversations between men and women. It opens with “Cruel Salt Sea,” a delightful variant of “Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight” (Child Ballad # 4) in which the rogue is the victim, not the maiden. Okay so the lady goes down with her paramour in “Demon Lover,” but most of the dialogues between the sexes are less harrowing than these two. In fact, the Heatons have impressively assembled songs in which women tend to fare better than men. If you think that’s an easy task, sample some old ballad texts and get back to me. Poor Johnny ends up love struck and alone in “Lovely Annie,” William returns to Nancy in “Mantle of Green,” and soldier Ted comes home to his mother, “Mrs. McGrath,” albeit missing his legs.

These song titles may sound familiar to you. Indeed, most are centuries’ old. But one of the release’s small surprises is that most of the arrangements are less familiar. Another is the vocal work. Shannon usually stands before the microphone with her flute; if you’ve not heard her sing much, you will be pleasantly surprised by her warm and melodious tones. Matt also takes a few leads. He lacks Shannon’s range, but his light tenor voice offers contrast–always important for a duo album. The one misstep, in my view, was the decision to rearrange Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightening” as if it might be a recent Irish ballad. This song screams out of for grit, attitude, and insouciance, not a smooth rendition. and especially not one in which the guitar plays, so to speak, second fiddle. But nine out of ten will get you an A- and that’s pretty darn good. And I bet there’s one thing on this album you’ve never heard: the Thai ballad “Mon Rak Dawk Kam Tai” arranged for cello and electric guitar. Okay, it’s not a St. Patrick’s Day selection, but wash down your curry with a Guinness and you’ll be fine.

Rob Weir  

PS--The album won't be officially released until April 5, but you can order it now and hear bits of it on the Heatons' Website.