Capercaillie includes some of the finest musicians on the scene:  Manus Lunny on bouzouki, Charlie McKerron on fiddle and Donald Shaw on keyboards and accordion.  While touring the band have Ewen Vernal on bass (ex-Deacon Blue), and the ubiquitous Michael McGoldrick, former BBC Young Musician of the Year, on flute and pipes, David Robertson on percussion and the glorious drumming of Che Beresford.

The line-up is completed by the exquisite voice of Karen Matheson.  She has been called 'the finest Gaelic singer alive today' and most of the material recorded by the band she learned as a child from her grandmother on the Hebridean island of Barra.

Their last album Nadurra (Naturally) was critically acclaimed around the world.  Winner of HMV's folk album of the year, Nadurra finds the band 'returning to the roots of their Gaelic heritage in thrilling style'.  It is the perfect showcase for their stunning live style of performance, captured with the help of co-producer Calum Malcolm with whom they worked on the classic Secret People (1993). The songs find Karen Matheson in even more arresting form, described by 'Mojo' as 'one of the most tender, extraordinary voices to be heard anywhere.'

Nadurra was the band's first album for 3 years following on from Beautiful Wasteland which was described by Q magazine as "exceptionally stirring........their finest work". Capercaillie have always been innovative and Beautiful Wasteland was their most potent blend of ancient songs - some more than 400 years old - and the latest in music technology.  Their desire to keep their music moving forward enabled them to absorb influences from other ethnic cultures and to push back the boundaries of 'world music'.

While Nadurra was more of an acoustic affair.... the new album, Choice Language, is the opposite. It’s full of loops, samples and ultra modern grooves. As usual, the album is a blend of self-penned material, centuries-old Gaelic songs and exciting instrumental sets.... but there is a new edge to the material.

In part, this new sound is due to the consolidation of the line-up that has been thrilling audiences around the world for the past three years. This is the first time drummer Che Beresford has recorded with the band and, working with the now established rhythm section of Ewen Vernal on bass and 'Chimp' on percussion, he brings a more funky vibe to the Capercaillie sound.

The hauntingly beautiful voice of Karen Matheson ... and the musical contribution from the remaining band members - Charlie McKerron, Manus Lunny, Donald Shaw plus the extraordinary flute and pipe playing of Michael McGoldrick... adds to the uniqueness that is Capercaillie.

~Courtesy of The Brookes Company