Natalie MacMaster

Popular myth dictates that everyone from Cape Breton, Newfoundland, on Canada's rugged Atlantic coastline, is born with either a fiddle or a fishing net in hand. That's not true, of course, but then again Natalie MacMaster has wielded the former since age nine and currently boasts a reputation as one of the liveliest proponents of that region's unique native sound, a blend of Celtic tradition, Scottish heritage, folk, and bluegrass. Given a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album for her 2000 release, My Roots Are Showing, MacMaster is a rousing virtuoso who's adept at delivering animated instrumentals while also managing a dazzling jig. A rousing performer who's as easy on the eyes as she is on the ears, this leggy lass provides real thrills.