Photo Credit: Steph McNamara.
An artist embodying the roar of the sea with a pure and delicate voice, folk singer-songwriter and fiddler Rose Morrison explores new territory as a lyricist after living away from Cape Breton for more than a decade, and discovers a new connection to the land and how it shapes her music. “The River She Knows” was inspired by a conversation with a genuine friend who taught Rose to be still, walk the river, and connect to the good around her. For Rose, the river is a place that holds deep knowing.
Rose said, "My previous two releases were instrumentals and allowed me to establish myself as a fiddler and composer. I was still very much exploring my sound. It has taken time to understand the fierceness and wildness with the delicate light and ultimately trusting my sound. I am rooted in traditional Cape Breton music, drawing from the lilt and air of my ancestors, but always collaborating and exploring something unknown."
Rose Morrison has seen, and done, a lot in her almost 25 years as a professional musician. The versatile fiddler from Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has recorded and toured with Oscar and Grammy Award winner Glen Hansard, Irish folk legend Breanndán O Beaglaoich (Breanndán Begley), and celebrated Scottish-Canadian tenor John McDermott. She’s performed twice at Carnegie Hall, recorded three albums and won three East Coast Music Awards.
The songs on this album have been written over the past four years, but began to find life when Rose stepped into the studio with producer Dave Gunning in November 2021. The River She Knows features 10 songs, with featured artists including Graham Marshall, Chris Joslin, and Dave Gunning. The album reveals Rose emerging as a poignant and insightful songwriter and speaks of the connections she has discovered—with the river, with the land, with people and love, and ultimately, with herself.
This is Rose’s third solo album, following her 2010 debut The MacKenzie Project and Atlantic, the 2018 East Coast Music Awards’ Instrumental Recording of the Year. It is also one of two albums she has set for release this year—a duo album she recorded with frequent collaborator Breanndán O Beaglaoich is due in the fall.
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