Two by Steve Crawford & Sabrina Palm

Steve Crawford from Aberdeen in Scotland is not just a gifted singer, but a multi-talented songwriter, guitarist and drummer known through playing with bands such as Catford, the duo Crawford & Spider Mackenzie and Ballad of Crows. The highly talented fiddler Sabrina Palm is a key figure in the Irish music scene in Germany, having worked with the likes of Alan Doherty, Paddy Keenan and Ruben Bada among others. In their five years playing together they have established themselves as one of the most prominent Scottish/Irish music duos in Germany.

Crawford and Palm now present their second album, appropriately titled ‘Two’. The album displays clear evidence of their flourishing talent as arrangers and composers. With a finely balanced collection of tunes and songs, this duo are equally gifted at pulling on the heart strings with exquisite ballads and delicate melodies as they are at joyous and high-energy jigs and reels.

Music rooted deep in the traditions of Scotland and Ireland are drawn from historical collections and arranged with a modern feel. The traditional material is complemented by new compositions that display a knack for catchy melodies.

Recorded at the 3 times Grammy award winning Hansahaus studios in Bonn by Mani Zmarsly, the duo are augmented in places on the album by exceptional guest performances. Award-winning Irish musicians Connor Mallon (Connla) on uilleann pipes and low whistles and Robbie Walsh (Four Winds, Daoiri Farrell Band) on the bodhran join the German Paul Bremen (Duck Tape Ticket) on viola. The album was mixed and mastered by musician and producer Jürgen Treyz of the band Cara.

Highlights from the album include a rousing and uptempo version of Robert Burns’ ‘Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation’; the ‘3 Little steps’ jig set, a foot-stomper featuring Walsh’ bodhran alongside Mallon’s pipes and whistles; Kris Drever’s ‘Scapa Flow 1919’, a story connecting Scotland and Germany through the sinking of the German fleet in Scottish waters at the end of the First World War, alongside Palm’s self composed and skillfully executed slow waltz ‘Something is Right About It’.

Crawford & Palm have established themselves as one of the most successful Scottish/Irish music duos in Germany. Tours in Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Holland and France have gained them an international audience for their music. The release of their second album ‘Two’ has been met with a strong resonance in the press including rave reviews and Album of the Week on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal.

crawfordpalm.com