MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ATLANTIC STRING MACHINE - THE BAYFIELD SESSIONS

One of the best collaborations of late on the East Coast has been the touring partnership of P.E.I.'s Rachel Beck and the Atlantic String Machine. With several more tour dates coming up right away, there's also new music to discover from the Machine, and some coming very soon from Beck.

Rachel Beck has quickly become one of the favourite voices from the Maritimes. Her solo debut EP earned her raves plus a coveted #1 spot on the CBC Radio 2 for her single "Hearts On Fire." She followed that up with a surprising cover, a moody and nifty version of Whitney's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." Beck has been back in the studio with producer Daniel Ledwell and has an album ready that should be out in a couple of months or so. She says to "prepare for pop."

The Atlantic String Machine's new set is already here. Called The Bayfield Sessions, it features the group doing what they do so well, collaborating. The string quintet invited some of the East Coast's finest singer-songwriters to join them, each one bringing one of their tunes to sing. Instead of the normal instrumentation, each one is accompanied by the string group only, with new arrangements. Catherine MacLellan brought a brand-new one, "Out Of Time," the lead single off her just-released album Coyote. Already a strong emotional lyric, the string arrangement really heightens the power of her words and delivery.

The group's track with another P.E.I. writer, Nathan Wiley, is a different kettle of fish. Wiley's best-known song, the title cut from his debut Bottom Dollar Baby, is served up as a darker cut, the shimmering strings adding lots of drama. Newfoundland's Matthew Byrne is well-known for collecting incredible traditional numbers from his home, and here he brings the sea tragedy "Three Score and Ten." That's the number of men and boys lost from Grimsby town, and hundreds more fishermen drowned in the same storm. Already a heartbreaker, the string arrangement only adds to the poignancy, and Byrne once again shows his mastery delivering the classics.

In addition to East Coast choices from Alicia Toner and Ian Sherwood, the album features three covers from the rock world (without their famous authors). An instrumental version of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" is just as interesting as it sounds, but less scary than the original. Certainly Alabama Shakes never imagined their "Sound and Colour" to get this interpretation, as the Machine takes the quiet opening of the track and uses it as template for a complete piece, finding an inner sweetness. The version of Bowie's "Space Oddity" works less well, as the group decided to use vocals for that one, and it probably would have been served better with a very different string arrangement rather than sticking to the original.

The Atlantic String Machine does wonders with Rachel Beck's songs, and her voice is a great match for their string prowess. You can catch their collaborative tour at the following venues:

• Oct. 24 - Capitol Theatre, Moncton

• Oct. 25 - Imperial Theatre, Saint John

• Oct. 26 - Fredericton Playhouse

• Oct. 27 - King's Playhouse, Georgetown, PEI

• Nov. 06 - Lawrence O'Brien Arts Centre, Happy Valley-Goose Bay

• Nov. 08 - Chester Playhouse, Chester NS

• Feb. 14 - 16, Neptune Theatre, Halifax