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One Hundred Years of Thunder
Bruce Innes & Doris Daley
One Hundred Years of Thunder is an amazing project commemorating the Calgary Stampede Centennial.
This 20 track CD features the original poetry of Doris Daley, alternating with original songs from Bruce Innes. Doris is known as the “Julie Andrews of cowboy poetry”, and Bruce Innes was part of the great Canadian group, The Original Caste; (I remember playing their two biggest hits in 1998; One Tin Soldier and Mr. Monday when I was at CFAC.)
More than great songs and well-crafted poetry, the package includes 10 historical essays by Wendy Bryden, and about a dozen fantastic photos by Neville Palmer. Put the CD in the player while you read the essays, and look closely at the photos, and it’ll make you proud to be a Westerner?—?or at least a Westerner at heart.
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Western Spirit
Poems and Songs by Mag Mawhinney
There are 113 pages of great reading and 13 tracks on this CD that is made up of Mag’s lyrics sung by a variety of Western-flavoured performers. Abe Zacharias, Stephen Harrington, Larry Krause, Al Owchar, Jim Peace, Kvathie and Rob Arnold, and Alan Cayn bring Mag’s words to life with tastefully recorded and catchy arrangements.
I found it interesting to read through the poems while the CD was playing and match up the words with the song tracks. Mag’s lyrics are masterfully crafted, and their cadence and meter adapt seamlessly to a melody. The collection is only enhanced by a great selection of black and white photographs. Many of them accurately illustrate the subjects of the poems, and give us a lot of insight into this talented lady’s background. Much of her work is historical, and I found the candid thoughts about her family quite inspiring.
The Western Spirit collection would be a nice addition to your library, or make for a great gift. Well done, Mag!
