Better times
Ne’er ask the hour what is it tae us, how time deals out his treasures? The golden moments lent tae us, they’re no Time’s coin they’re Pleasure’s. Then fill the cup what is it tae us, how Time his circle measures? Tae count aa the hours it is sic a fuss, obey no wand but Pleasure’s". The beautiful voice of Lori Watson sings the traditional song Pleasure caressing our souls to shudder. So open Lori Watson and Rule of Three their latest album Pleasure's coin (Isle Music Scotland, 2009), a work full of beauty that not only brings back the intensity of life, but also the richness of traditional culture as musically exciting as Scottish culture is. Their melodies embrace our souls.
The treasures that this album keeps are as many as those that the voice and the arrangements of Lori Watson and Rule of Three show. Part of their repertoire are traditional songs, but their lively interpretation which gives their music a highly seductive own personality. And the same goes for their songs. The arrangements are subtle, elegant and full of love of tradition and modernity, without seeing the border between them because the vital fact is the only reality within us and, perhaps, the past songs live more intensely that fact than the current ones, more interested in further accumulation and great shows leaving behind intensity and the existential evolution. If one does not stop living the sunset and then stay silent in the darkness to enjoy new life experiences, is far from the enjoyment of Pleasure's coin. So, I stretched on the grass and listen to the music of Lori Watson and Rule of Three as the pleasure it is, letting the beautiful voice of Lori makes me feel every hole in my soul and be aware of their existence. Time doesn’t go by but our souls flee from it.
Pleasure, Plooman, Floor, Poppies and Friendship are perfect examples of how beauty has no time and no place beyond our minds which need places to shelter from the current grey times. If you listen to their stories they will reconcile you with your inner world. It’s a great pleasure.
Text by Juan Carlos Romero
Photos courtesy of Lori Watson