"Graham’s sweet singing combines expressiveness with technical refinement in beguiling fashion''.

JAMES Graham’s reign as Young Scots Traditional Musician 2004 ends this month, and this excellent debut album from the Lochinver Gaelic singer is part of his prize. Graham’s sweet singing combines expressiveness with technical refinement in beguiling fashion. The songs are a mixture of both traditional Gaelic material and work by contemporary writers like poet Aonghas MacNeacail and the Rev John Macleod, and serve to illustrate how seamless the Gaelic continuum remains.

The arrangements by Graham and producer Mary Anne Kennedy always serve the songs. Further confirmation that the singer is a major talent in the making.

KENNY MATHIESON: 14th January 2005

Great talent, delivery, and looks!

James Grahams CD is amazing!  I have not had time to research him yet but can say he looks very young to have such  grand command of the Gaelic language.

What a voice!   My granddaughter would say he is “hot”.  This young man seems to have a complete package.  Great talent, delivery, and looks!  My very best wishes to him.

A remarkable young Gaelic performer

A remarkable young Gaelic performer at home in the unaccompanied, unhurried traditional Gaelic singing style, but with an all-embracing musicality and assured vocal tone and pitch, Graham also collaborates with the cream of some of the younger instrumentalists on this, his first album.

Winner of the 2004 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year award, Graham ploughs a tasteful furrow - even his reworking of Karen Matheson’s hit ‘Machair’ theme song eschews the Celtic synth in favour of the spare, thoughtful piano and cello of James Ross and Christine Hanson.

if you’ve not heard him before just wait until you hear that voice.

beautifully poised, warm-toned delivery, which achieves its expressive eloquence instead through immaculately weighted diction, purity of tone and thoughtfully measured timing

It’s just over a year since James Graham silenced a noisy late-night Festival Club at Celtic Connections with a couple of unaccompanied Gaelic songs, hours after becoming Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2004. Originally from Lochinver in Assynt, Graham was not only the first Gaelic singer but the first of the male persuasion to claim the title, landing the deal for this debut recording as part of his prize. The aplomb and calm authority – born of having competed in the Mod since he was 10 – which so impressed the judges that night are abundantly in evidence throughout the album. Including puirt a beul and work-songs as well as slower ballads, its 14 tracks are mostly of traditional provenance, with a handful of contemporary authors also represented, including Aonghas MacNeacail and Rev John MacLeod.
There’s a resolute and unerring absence of histrionics or ostentation in Graham’s beautifully poised, warm-toned delivery, which achieves its expressive eloquence instead through immaculately weighted diction, purity of tone and thoughtfully measured timing. This understated lead is matched by similar lyrical subtlety on the part of Graham’s instrumental guests, including pianist James Ross, guitarist Kris Drever, Donal Brown on flute and whistles and Phamie Gow on clarsach.

20 February 2005

seeming tongue twisters are delivered with stunning panache. Elsewhere he includes Piobaireachd, waulking songs, love songs, and the splendidly rousing Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda. There's a superb cover of Donald Shaw's Delirium beautiful songs abound.

James Graham's captivating voice and his superb timing command your attention throughout this magnificent recording of Gaelic song. Siubhal is the culmination of a year which has significantly raised his profile; Footstompin' Records has funded this recording as part of his prize; this shows a proper commitment by the industry to support the young artists who are the future of Scottish music.

He has chosen some of his favourite traditional songs, some from the area around Assynt, his home parish. Mullaichean Rudha Stoir celebrates the mountain summits around the point of Stoer, for example. Graham's puirt singing is exceptional – seeming tongue twisters are delivered with stunning panache. Elsewhere he includes Piobaireachd, waulking songs, love songs, and the splendidly rousing Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda. There's a superb cover of Donald Shaw's Delirium (with words by Aonghas MacNeacail); beautiful songs abound.

Graham's ability to sing Gaelic song with absolute phonetic clarity is remarkable – any non-Gaelic speaking listener can easily follow his words with the help of the accompanying lyrics and translations. His timing and delivery are of the highest order – impeccable in fact.

It's a very traditional recording, elegantly produced by Mary Ann Kennedy. Tasteful instrumental and vocal arrangements ensure the most pleasurable listen – lending their talents are James Ross, Donal Brown, Kris Drever, Christine Hanson, Phamie Gow, Andrew MacPherson, Chaz Stewart, and Darren MacLean.

Musicians like James Graham are taking a real risk (in terms of their potential to achieve wider audiences) by releasing albums of all-Gaelic song, but I believe they should be commended and supported for such a committed, robust, and forward-looking attitude to their language and culture. There are many young Gaelic-speaking musicians out there adopting the same, extremely positive attitude.

From issue 61 of The Living Tradition

..there's little doubt that this album - and James - will be winners on the Gaelic Circuit.

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