Sitting on the edge of the stage, this adept duo quite literally comes down to the level of the audience. This is an intimate hour of soul-searching folk that traverses time and space, transporting the past to the present and allowing the present to be pleasantly forgotten. Beautiful ballads are beaten rhythmically from Jack Foster’s guitar while Carolyn Anona Scott tingles the spine with some persuasive, penetrating Gaelic resonance. Foster more than contributes vocally and his ‘Ah Richard’ ballad certainly stirs the soul.
They both have another show in the festival called ‘Scotland in Song’. The reason it is mentioned here is because this gig almost felt like an add-on to it. A significant number of songs were performed individually with the other artist sitting by redundantly, trying to look busy. Admittedly Jack Foster was more than capable of holding his own (his complex finger picked melodies complimented his simply sung storytelling) but when the two combined musically, it was almost like folk’s answer to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers. However, Foster should also be less reluctant to perform his own work because the one rendition he did had a lovely, nostalgic, resigned sound to it. The gig was poorly attended: more people would certainly add to the atmosphere and provide these two with an audience they deserve. They perform here again on the 17th.
