After 13 years, Màiri Morrison and Alasdair Roberts are releasing their second collaborative record. This time, they've enlisted composer and bassist Pete Johnson for a collection of their takes on traditional Nova Scotian songs in both Gaelic and English.
Remembered in Exile: Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia arrives April 25 via Drag City, and was recorded in Joel Plaskett's Fang Recording Studio in Dartmouth, NS. Morrison and Roberts voyaged over in June 2023 to work with Johnston on pulling ten traditional Canadian songs with Scottish roots, sourced from music collected by folklorist Helen Creighton.
"I met Alasdair at a show he played in Toronto in 2011 or so, and made a cold call nearly a decade later about collaborating on some Scottish songs collected by folklorist Helen Creighton in Nova Scotia," Johnston said. "I was thrilled when Alasdair replied that not only had he had always wanted to visit Nova Scotia, but that he would like to bring Màiri Morrison along so we could do some Gaelic songs."
Ahead of the follow-up to 2012's Urstan, the trio have shared the songs "The Bonny House of Airlie" and "Màiri nighean Dòmhnaill." Listen to them both below.