These words, taken from the song, ‘Rise Up Winds’, show the deep reverence and passion for history, people and place. These are the central themes of the new CD release from Ennis, entitled, ‘The Fortunate Ones’.

Newfoundlanders have long referred to “the rock” as home, no matter how far they’ve ventured or how long they’ve been away. The Fortunate Ones, in this case, refers to those who have managed to maintain a living on the island where most Newfoundlanders long to be. “Based on conversations with many ex-patriot islanders who have had to relocate to Alberta and other places for work, we felt ‘The Fortunate Ones’ set the tone for the CD,” explains Maureen.

There are some exciting ‘firsts’ on ‘The Fortunate Ones’. This is the first record that is exclusively produced by Maureen Ennis. This was a long time coming. As the musical visionary of the group since its Ennis Sisters days, it was inevitable that this step be taken eventually. With a supporting cast of long time collaborator Mark Murphy over-seeing the vocals, and multi-instrumentalist and touring group member Billy Sutton at the engineering helm, it was a comfortable decision whose time had come.

Recorded, mixed and mastered exclusively at the Sound Solution in St John’s, Maureen oversaw every aspect of the recording with the exception of two tracks. The first was ‘Ladies Lounge’, a rollicking tune written by Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle and Oscar winning actor Russell Crowe. Produced by Alan, the track was recorded at Sound Solution in Alan’s home studio, at a B&B in downtown St John’s and at the Duke of Duckworth Pub (with a group of Maureen & Karen’s girlfriends, their sister, Teresa, and assorted patrons) which Alan thought would lend an air of authenticity to the song. The second is a set of traditional instrumental tunes, arranged and produced by Billy Sutton and played by some of the finest traditional players in Newfoundland, featuring Karen on the whistle.

This is also the first time in their recording career that they’ve been touring many of these songs as they’ve been written. “We’ve gotten feedback from people across North America, Australia, Ireland and Newfoundland over the last 18 months and that feedback has helped us create a project that we’re really proud of,” says Maureen.

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