The Plum Tree and the Rose is the third album by singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid. It is a collection of traditional centuries-old material and original songs.
Reception Hot Press referred to the release as "an album that should feature on many end-of-year best-ofs." AllMusic's J. Poet commented about McQuaid's vocal on the album, stating it is "full of the tremulous emotion every parent feels".
Track listing Lift You Up and Let You Fly (S.McQuaid) - 3:10 Hardwick's Lofty Towers (S.McQuaid) - 3:43 Solid Air (J.Martyn) - 5:04 Kenilworth (S.McQuaid) - 3:03 In Derby Cathedral (S.McQuaid) - 5:03 The Sun Goes On Rising (Sarah McQuaid & Gerry O’Beirne)- 4:14 S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada (Cadenet, c. 1200, arr. Sarah McQuaid & Gerry O’Beirne) - 4:14 Can She Excuse My Wrongs (John Dowland, published in 1597 in The First Booke Of Songes, arr. S.McQuaid) - 4:25 New Oysters New(Thomas Ravenscroft, published in 1609 in Pammelia: Mvsicks Miscellanie, arr. S.McQuaid) - 1:00 So Much Rain (Sarah McQuaid & Gerry O’Beirne) - 4:10 What Are We Going to Do (Sarah McQuaid & Gerry O’Beirne) - 2:57 The Plum Tree and the Rose (S.McQuaid) - 4:29 In Gratitude I Sing (S.McQuaid) - 1:02
Personnel Sarah McQuaid: vocals [1–13], guitar [1–6, 9–13], shruti box Gerry O’Beirne: tiple [1, 7], 12-string guitar [1, 5], guitar , vocals Rod McVey: keyboards [1–2, 5–7, 10–11] Trevor Hutchinson: double bass [1–2, 4–6, 10–11] Bill Blackmore: flugelhorn , trumpet [3, 5] Rosie Shipley: fiddle Máire Breatnach: fiddle [2, 4] Liam Bradley: percussion [4–6, 11] Noel Eccles: percussion [4, 7] Niamh Parsons, Tom Barry: vocals [9, 13] Frances Hutchinson, Emer Ní Bhrádaigh: vocals
Production Produced by Gerry O'Beirne Engineered by Trevor Hutchinson Recorded and mixed at Marguerite Studios, Glasnevin, Dublin Mastered by Sander van der Heide at Polyhymnia International, Baarn, The Netherlands Design and original cover artwork by Mary Guinan Photography by Colm Henry
Technical McQuaid plays: a 1965 Martin D-28 [5,10] her custom-made guitar by Andy Manson [1–4, 6–13] Both guitars are fitted with Fishman Matrix pickups John Pearse strings DADGAD tuning
References