Student Violin

Walls Came Down is the latest release from Country Artist Collin Raye, and is another great one from this talented musician.

Unfortunately, its not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just cant force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Walls Came Down. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Walls Came Down has a pleasantly varied, mix of 13 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly gifted artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are him own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

Walls Came Down is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. Its quite simply great listening. A must buy if you're even mildly into Country music.

While this entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 - I Wish I Could, track 5 - Someone You Used To Know, and track 13 - The Eleventh Commandment

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - Anyone Else. Outstanding!

Walls Came Down Release Notes:

Collin Raye originally released Walls Came Down on July 14, 1998 on the Epic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Anyone Else

2. I Wish I Could

3. Start Over Georgia

4. I Can Still Feel You

5. Someone You Used To Know

6. Corner Of The Heart

7. All My Roads

8. Walls Came Down, The

9. April Fool

10. Make Sure You've Got It All

11. Survivors

12. Dark Secrets

13. The Eleventh Commandment

Personnel includes: Collin Raye (vocals); Murray Adler (conductor, violin); Billy Joe Walker, Jr. (acoustic & electric guitars); Paul Worley (acoustic & 12 string guitars); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, Dan Huff, Brent Rowan (electric guitar); Paul Franklin, Sonny Garrish (steel guitar); Aubrey Haynie, Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); Randy Waldman (piano); Jon Carrol (Wurlitzer, piano); John Hobbs, Michael Omartian, Matt Rollings (piano); Joe Chemay, Michael Rhodes (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums, percussion); Paul Leim (drums); Terry McMillan (shaker, percussion); John Wesley Ryles, Dennis Wilson, Curtis Young (background vocals).

Producers: Paul Worley, Billy Joe Walker, Jr., Collin Raye, John Hobbs, Ed Seay.

Engineers include: Ed Seay, Brett Swain, Jeff Balding, Steve Tillisch.

Principally recorded at The Money Pit, Nashville, Tennessee.

Ipods

Introduction

People coming on holiday to Brittany, staying in one of those traditional Brittany Gites, will be more or less aware of the Breton musical and dance traditions, but will probably not understand their strength and vibrancy.

As owners of holiday gites in the Vilaine Valley, near La Roche Bernard (and now permanent French residents) we are totally addicted. In my case to an instrument called the bombarde, and my wife to Breton Dancing.

It is true that Breton dancing and Brittany's old culture has undergone a revival, but this revival started from a very strong base, and music and dance festivals are so numerous that they could on their own form the basis of your holiday in Brittany.

Fest noz

In the summer (July and August - the French holiday season) there is a fest noz (=evening feast) for every day of the week. These are events mostly for the locals, but holiday makers are also made to feel very welcome and you will be well fed at low cost (moules marinieres, beouf gros sel, etc.) along low tables and benches.

More rarely there are fest deizh (=daytime feasts) which happen in the afternoon and which are often held as "stages""(=training sessions) for would-be Breton dancers.

Finally there are "noces Bretonnes" (=Brittany weddings) in which the music and dance surround the re-enactment of a wedding. These can be quite grand: we paid 30 euros each for one such occasion in Augan, Morbihan. It seemed a bit steep, but the meal lasted 4 hours, comprised seven courses, and was served with beer, wine, champagne, cider, and a little bit of Calvados - tout compris. A wonderful day.

The band lineups

The music is based on simple band lineups - from a selection of

• bombardes - a piercingly loud reed instrument, same length and pitch as a penny whistle.
• cornemuses - Brittany's answer to the bagpipes.
• accordions
• flutes
• clarinets
• saxophone
• violin

Three to four players at any one time. The music sounds muddy if dominated by accordions, but is always strongly rhythmic and danceable.

The dances themselves...

were traditionally very chaste. A whole village would dance in rondes where everyone links to their partners via their little fingers - no other bodily contact. There are many other dances, including "pile menu" which used to be danced to beat flat the earth floor of your house - try to imagine that as a dating opportunity. But the Breton tradition has been able to import racier and rather daring dances such as gavottes, and polka - from Paris !

Conclusion

You can get a flavour of Breton music from breton dance scores and midi files on the internet (search for breizh partitions) and there are continuously updated lists of Fest Noz on the internet. You can also get a good list of Breton attractions (largely featuring Fest Noz !) from France Ouest. These lists appear in the first weeks of July and August - you may need to order them through your gite owner.

Follow up this article by visiting http://www.ruelmain.co.uk for more on Breton music and arts