Ellen Gibling

The Bend in the Light

The harp might be the most underrated and least understood instrument in the Celtic music arsenal. Thankfully, there is still strong support for those that write, record, and release albums featuring the famed, multi-stringed mechanism. As such, The Bend in the Light - the recently released recording from Nova Scotia's Ellen Gibling - is an illumination of sorts. Awash in a musical melange of hops, jigs, reels, airs, and even polkas, the Halifax native leaves no sonic stone unturned in her efforts to bring the instrument up-to-speed with moving and memorable melodies that are certain to stroke listeners' souls. By turns bold and beautiful, the album's 12 tracks are a nod to the vital role that the instrument still plays in the Celtic musical canon. ~ SPC