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othing complements a day on the water better than a bit of boat music. And nothing conjures up that nautical mood when you’re stuck ashore better than a few hearty sea songs. Below are Carolina Currents’ staff picks for the 10 albums we would want with us if we ever happened to be stranded on a desert isle. If you’re looking for a surefire gift for the boater in your life, it’s hard to go wrong with any of these:
Eileen Quinn The quintessentially essential cruising crooner, Eileen Quinn’s songs ring true to every sailor who has cast off a line for more than a weekend at a time. Many of her more humorous ditties are considered cult classics, making it difficult to recommend just one of her five albums. Her latest is “Miss Inclined.” All five of her CDs can be found on her website at EileenQuinn.com. Jimmy Buffett The best known of singing sailors, most boaters probably already have a bit of Jimmy in their collection. If not, the best way to take the plunge is with his “Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads” box set. Some might consider this cheating, since it’s a four-CD set, but for the purposes of this list, we’re only counting the Boats disc. Classics like “Son of a Sailor” or “Changes in Latitudes” are the soundtrack to many a boater’s life. For his more recent releases, it’s hard to miss with his “License to Chill” album featuring a roster of collaborations with country musicians. But the real gem for Carolina boaters is his song “Carolina Coastline.” There’s even a Carolina Coastline Parrot Head Club based in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Visit cofcphc.com. Molasses Creek This band has been a driving force in the coastal Carolina folk movement since 1993. Check them out if they perform at a festival near you, or visit their Ocracoke home venue the Deep Water Theater. From among the eight albums they’ve released, “Deepwater” is a good bet for a salty selection. Visit soundsiderecords.com for any of their albums and a salty selection of other Outer Banks music. The Boating and Waterfront Magazine
Carolina Currents Top 10 Salty CDs
Them Eastport Oyster Boys If you’ve sailed north to the Chesapeake, chances are you’ve heard of songsters Jefferson Holland and Kevin Brooks. Again, it’s difficult to pick just one of their many fine (and funny) albums, but we’d go with their latest, “Full Moon Cruisin’,” especially since part of the proceeds benefit the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Visit OysterBoys.com.
Eileen, Quinntessential cruising crooner
Kenny Chesney Chesney grew up in Tennessee, but he spent summer vacations in Myrtle Beach, S.C. This Nashville star helped resuscitate Jimmy Buffett’s career earlier in this decade, introducing a new generation of country fans to laid back beach music that owes a heavy debt to the man from Margaritaville. For the best of Chesney’s beach tunes, check out his 2005 album “Be As You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair.” Seafaring Film Classics If you want to be swept away to every seafaring classic you’ve seen on the silver screen, then “Masters and Commnders” is for you. Close your eyes, listen to it and you’ll see the billowing clouds of sails and feel the salt spray on your face. 18 tracks performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra are included, with Pirates of the Caribbean, Master and Commander, Captains Courageous and more. Visit telarc. com.
Pint and Dale Hailing from the left coast, this musical couple blends traditional and original sea songs with dynamic arrangements to create a uniquely pleasing sound. Much of the uniqueness is provided by Felicia Dale’s hurdy gurdy – a hand-cranked instrument that sounds like a cross between a bagpipe and a string quartet. Add in William Pint’s energetic guitar and their blend of vocal duties and the result is difficult to resist. We like their “White Horses” album, but haven’t heard their more recent “Seven Seas” yet. Visit Pintndale.com. Brent Holmes If you have young kids in the house, there is no better way to introduce them to the ecology of the underwater world than with Brent Holmes’ “Sea Tunes” album. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing along to tunes like “Out on the Coral Reef ” or “At the Aquarium.” Stop by funtunesforkids.com/seatunes.php. John Golden/The Barquentones Wilmington singer and maritime historian John Golden teams up with Outer Banks musicians including members of Molasses Creek for a convincing collection of traditional and original sea shanties and other folksie favorites on “Shipwrecks & Sea Songs” Volumes 1 and 2. Visit soundsiderecords.com. He stirs fond memories of the Barquentones, a contemporary sea shanty band we belonged to while crewing aboard the tall ship Elissa in Galveston. You might still snag a “Crew of the Elissa” album if you e-mail elissa@galvestonhistory.org. Eric Stone/Kelly McGuire This one’s a tie. Eric set out a few years back with his dog, his surfboard and his guitar on a sailboat. In recent years he has become a mainstay on the boat show stage entertaining for hours at a Nov/Dec 2007 Carolina Currents 29