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Review: Tamrack's
Leaving Inverarden

Few folk groups have had the persistence and endurance of Tamarack. With over 17 years of songwriting, performing and touring, Tamarack has survived changing personnel and changing times. Still anchored by the prolific songwriter and founding member James Gordon, the stalwart Alex Sinclair whose fine guitar work and songwriting has graced their albums for many years, and the latest Tamarack bass player, Molly Kurvink, the band released its 7th album (and 5th CD), Leaving Inverarden in early 1996. The album's sound is vintage Tamarack.

Tamarack, for those who are new to their material, specialize in writing original material based on Canadian, and especially Ontario, history. Gordon and Sinclair share the songwriting and the performances are marked by strong lyrics, tasty musical arrangements and skillful harmonies. Each member takes turns on lead vocals and the arrangements from song to song are so varied that there's little danger of getting bored.

The title track, "Leaving Inverarden," tells the story of John Macdonald, the last surviving partner in the North West Company (a fur-trading rival to the Hudson's Bay Company). The next track, "Magdalen McGillivray," is a poignant lament from the point of view of Macdonald's sister, a woman forced by circumstances to share her husband William McGillivray with his unofficial native wife. From there the album meanders through history with songs about maple syruping, fires, rivers, and the doughty stock that settled in Canada. Wonderful stuff! This is the strongest Tamarack album to date.

--by Gene Wilburn, Northern Journey-- the Canadian ONLINE Folk rag.

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