Before we took our road trip we went out and bought a new CD. It was only a fluke what we bought. We’re both big fans of Great Big Sea, and when we heard they had a new CD, The Hard & The Easy, we just decided to buy it. Not knowing anything about the new music. Actually, we had to go to a second store to get it because it was sold out in many Vancouver locations!

Well, it’s one of my favourite CDs now! I fell in love with it instantly. It has such a great mix of songs. From comic to traditional folk & celtic. From accompanied to a cappella. All with such a strong tune that you can’t help trying to sing along. It was the perfect driving music, but sounds oh so much better at home on our good sound system.

You might be wondering what the heck is on the cover of the CD (pictured above). Well, it’s simple. One of the most fun songs, The Mermaid, is about a boy who falls in love with a mermaid who is on the top a girl, on the bottom a fish. Well, one day she swims away and along comes her sister, whose head is a fish and bottom a girl. Well, you have to hear the song to appreciate it. But let’s just say the sailor prefers this “tail” to the other ;)

A little on Great Big Sea. They’re Canadians. This is their 9th CD. They are known for updating the Cape Breton style of Celtic music. They’re probably one of the few folkish type artists wholly popular with the pop-listening crowd. Their music combines strong vocal talent with a refreshing choice of instrumentals. The Hard & The Easy focuses on Newfoundland folk tunes (lots of sea-related tunes) and is entirely acoustic. And I think it’s one of their best simply because of the heart they put into the tunes and ballads they have known so long. The members of Great Big Sea are Sean McCann, Alan Doyle, and Bob Hallett.

The Hard & The Easy comes with a bonus DVD too. Amazon will let you preview each song except #6 (but you can preview it on GBS), which I think is my favourite! It’s a love song, but in the folk tradition. It’s so beautiful. I actually was so inspired by it that I’ll be integrating it into the wedding!

1. Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)

2. Old Polina

3. The River Driver

4. The Mermaid

5. Captain Kidd

6. Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not)

7. Concerning Charlie Horse

8. Harbour LeCou

9. Tishialuk Girls Set

10. French Shore

11. Cod Liver Oil

12. Tickle Cove Pond

They are coming to Vancouver for a concert Feb 9th (on sale Nov 26th). Pretty sure we’ll be going. We typically dislike paying the disgusting prices for concerts. But we just love the music!

Technorati Tags: great big sea, the hard and the easy, folk, celtic, music, cds, mermaid, hard and easy