Paul Mounsey

Paul Mounsey is an expatriate trailblazer. Although from Scotland, he's been living in Brazil for nearly two decades. With his third album Nahoo3: Notes From the Republic, Mounsey again creatively finds a meeting place for jazz, ambient, folk, and rock. He does this by juxtaposing sound samples, drum loops, and keyboard programming with folk songs, acoustic instruments, electric guitars, and brass. Mounsey employs an atmospheric, Daniel Lanois effect on the Ewan MacColl classic "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," while the melancholy "Unfinished Business" specifically recalls Lanois' "The Maker" from Acadie. His programming and sampling genius does wonders on "Taking Leave," an adaptation of Anne Lorne Gilles' "Beir Soraidh Bhuam"; the Gaelic choir coupled with Mounsey's programming creates a Capercaillie or Mary Jane Lamond-esque melding of old Scotland with modern technology. The underlying orchestral technique used on "Don Roberto's Sabbath" surprisingly complements the uptempo programmed rhythm and Celtic fiddle. Similarly, "Reel Slow" uses a deliberate fiddle line to underscore the drum loops and accelerated programming while the electric guitar adds a Mike Oldfield-like dénouement to the song. ~ Dave Sleger, Rovi