Certainly many of the latest albums from, or tipping the cap to, Ireland were timed strategically for marketing around St. Patrick's Day. But others are simply part of the burgeoning market for "world market" (in which Celtic- and Gaelic-themed collections are the most popular of all). Here are reviews, by members of the Deseret News staff, of several new selections:
ANUNA; "Invocation" (Celtic Heartbeat-Atlantic). * * *
Legends, medieval prayers and images from the poets provide a motherlode the Irish choral group Anuna mines for an artful merger of ancient and modern, the spiritual and the secular, on its latest album, "Invocation."
Guided by writer-music director Michael McGlynn, Anuna - a rich chorus of female and male voices - creates multilingual music of stirring beauty and resonance spanning all of Irish history. "Eira Na Griene," for example, is lively storytelling in song, sung in Gaelic. "Quis Est Deus" is a mesmerizing choral chant in Latin. Poetry provides the lyrics for the lovely "Winter, Fire and Snow" (by Mac-Dara Woods, a song that was the title track in a recent holiday anthology from Atlantic), "Innis-free" (Yeats) and "Wind on Sea" (the pagan poet Amergin Glungel).
A fiddle, a recorder, an Irish harp, a rhythmic ripple of drums may add color here and there, but the dynamic human voice is really Anuna's orchestra. The effect is fascinating - and impossible, really, to convey in mere words.
- Ray Boren
BATTLEFIELD BAND; "Threads" (Temple Records). * * 1/2
"Threads" is the third release from the Battlefield Band with its current roster, including Alan Reid, Alastair Russell, Iain MacDonald and John McCusker. Yet it is also the 14th in a long line featuring excellent traditional and contemporary Celtic music. "Threads" probably could have used the title of an earlier release, "Quiet Days," for it is dominated by quiet, slow instrumentals (about a half of the selections are vocal-less) and ballads.
The rocking song of the album is the first, which highlights MacDonald, whose speed and fingering technique on the Highland bagpipes leave the listener in awe. Having a foot stompin' opening pipe song seems to be a Battlefield Band signature. Of the 21 tracks, nine are traditional (although with a contemporary twist), with "MacPhersons' Lament" being perhaps the oldest, written in 1700.
Probably the biggest disappointment is the underuse of fiddler John McCusker. His talent is generously showcased, however, on "The Weary Whaling Ground" and "Xesus and Felsia." Most of his performances are slow, though beautiful and enchanting.
- Garry Bryant
THE CHIEFTAINS; "Film Cuts" (RCA Victor) * * * 1/2
The Chieftains' first movie music was commissioned by Stanley Kubrick for "Barry Lyndon" in 1975, and the Irish folk group probably didn't envision a prolonged film-scoring career after that. But lo and behold, a number of filmmakers desiring authentic, atmospheric musical background for their pictures has called up the group over the past two decades.
"Film Cuts," an 18-track collection, boasts the epic themes for "Barry Lyndon," "Far and Away" (music written by John Williams) and "Rob Roy," as well as the more complex and ambitious "Tristan and Isolde," the adventuresome "The Grey Fox" and the light-hearted "Circle of Friends" (scored by Michael Kamen), among others. A very nice collection that shows off the talent Paddy Ma-loney and friends have for developing music that both complements film action and provides a highly entertaining album.
- Chris Hicks
CLANNAD; "Lore" (Atlantic). * * *
Clannad's style has evolved over the past quarter-century from traditional roots to something more akin to a distinctive pop, without losing the age-old atmospherics. "Lore's" opening "Croi Croga" shows off this hybrid to attention-getting moody effect, as the lads of this family band - Ciarran Brennan and Noel and Padraig Duggan - build up a wall of chanting voices and instruments in support of Maire Brennan's molasses soprano.
The songs that follow intersperse new Gaelic tunes by Ciarran (such as "Seanchus"), updated folk melodies (a fascinating "Alasdair MacColla," "Trathnona Beag Areir") with English-language ballads by Maire. One of the latter, "A Bridge (That Carries Us Over)," is a straightforward plea for understanding and compromise that could be meant for lovers, friends . . . or a message to the stubborn politicians and combative antagonists of Ireland and Great Britain.
- Ray Boren
THE CORRS; "Forgiven, Not Forgotten" (143 Records-Lava-Atlantic). * * 1/2
Though potential is evident in abundance, a split personality makes "Forgiven, Not Forgotten" more perplexing than is probably good for it. Traditional if somewhat homogenized Irish-folk in-strumentals, with fiddle, tin whistles, bodhran and Eire's cultural lilt, bookend the collection and spring up, usually briefly, throughout. Most of the lyrics and radio-friendly songs, however, are unabashed pop and pop-rock.
Highlighted by Andrea Corr's pleasing voice and with the vocal and instrumental depth of siblings Jim, Sharon and Caroline, songs like the title tune, the romantic "Runaway" and "Love to Love You," are about 90 percent or more pop; the "Irish" in the recipe is fleeting at most. Sharon Corr's fiddle and the family harmonies make the energetic "Someday" sound like (forgive me) the Go-Gos jamming with Kansas (the progressive rockers, not the state). The individual elements are done well enough (they ought to: Grammy-winner David Foster is the producer); the track-to-track blend, though, seems more gimmicky than innovative, unless you like the idea of two albums-in-one.
- Ray Boren
JOANIE MADDEN, "Song of the Irish Whistle," (Hearts O'space). * * * 1/2
In the right hands, the Irish whistle can conjure up a sound that is both nostalgic and new, both folksy and sophisticated. Count Joanie Madden among those who have that touch. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, harp guitar, piano, fiddle, pipes and other instruments (including jeans and spoons on a couple of selections), Madden's whistles evoke images of beautiful landscape, hearty folk and long tradition that we associate with Ireland. Her own "The Immigrant" sets a hopeful tone for the album, which goes on to pay tribute to "Women of Ireland," "Flight of Wild Geese" and "The South Wind," among other things.
The sound is sometimes soft, sometimes lilting but always interesting. Fiona Ritchie, producer of Scotland's "Thistle and Shamrock," a radio program that focuses on the Celtic musical tradition, calls Joanie Madden "a music maker. Dreamers of dreams will find inspiration in her `Song of the Irish Whistle.' " That about says it all. This is mood music extraordinaire.
- Carma Wadley
SHANNON, "Celtic Classics" (Honest). * * *
It is billed as a collection of classics, but more than half of the selections on this CD are original compositions. And they may not quite be what you'd imagine being played in front of a traditional Irish hearth. There are renditions of "Danny Boy," "Loch Lomond" and "Kathleen" that are easily recognizable. But other "traditional" songs, such as "Carrickfergus" and "Spancil Hill," are less familiar.
New songs carry evocative titles, such as "Brigid's Ode," "Kildare Lights" and "Music of Kells," and each lives up to these names in the imagery created. Shannon's sound is achieved with synthesizer, piano, harps, pipes, whistles and drums, with some ethereal vocals drawn in from time to time. The vocals get a bit heavy at times, but overall there is a depth and layering that works well to create mood and atmosphere.
If it's not exactly hearth music, it does evoke images of castles, heavenly quests and magical adventures. A bit more information on the liner notes would be helpful in giving the music and the artists context. But the subtitle promises "an enchanted journey," and that's what you get.
- Carma Wadley
BILL WHELAN; "Riverdance" (Celtic Heartbeat-Atlantic). * * * 1/2
While composer Bill Whelan's epic "Riverdance" is surely Irish at the beginning, at the swirling end and pretty much at its heart, the music (16 tracks and 73-plus minutes worth) also wanders far afield - to Iberia, the Americas and the meeting of Europe and Asia.
"Riverdance" is actually a soundtrack to an extravaganza of dance and music that's been a hit in London and is headed, we're told, to the United States. The compositions feature a range of traditional instruments, from whistles and pipes to the accordion and Spanish guitar. Most are performed by an eclectic ensemble, the Riverdance Orchestra, conducted by Proinnsias O Duinn, but several of the very best are by the Irish choral group Anuna (which has a new album of its own; see above). The instrumentals have evocative titles like "Reel Around the Sun," the opener; "Firedance" and "Andalucia." The pretty songs with lyrics include lovely numbers - with lead female vocals - such as "The Heart's Cry," "Lift the Wings" and "Home and the Heartland."
It would take an evening at an actual performance to understand how the pieces all fit together in a stage presentation, but this audio preview certainly makes "River-dance" seem like a spectacle to see.
- Ray Boren
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Celtic Twilight 2" (Hearts of Space). * * * 1/2
The first "Celtic Twilight" collection in 1994 was a notable success for the label Hearts of Space, justifying Volume 2. And the sequel is even better than the original. The admitted objective in the projects has been to explore "the new sound of Celtic music," but much of the beloved folk tradition implied by the title was a tad too submerged in the first edition, while the second takes a graceful step back without sounding "antique."
Nightnoise's opening "For Eamonn" is a fine example, calling upon whistles, guitars, synthesizers and wordless vocals to initiate a peaceful melodic flow that is pretty much maintained from there on out. Harp guitarist John Doan's "The Journey Home" is very lovely. Joanie Madden, on whistles, and Carol Thompson, on Celtic harp, turn "The Black Rose (Roisin Dubh)" into an instrumental duet, with some backing help. Steve McDonald cannily modernizes the familiar anthem "Scotland the Brave" for the approaching 21st century. And the marvelous voice of Canadian Loreena McKennitt graces "Snow."
"Celtic Twilight 2" taps a gently nostalgic yet contemporary mood that is downright hypnotic.
- Ray Boren
VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Celtic Voices: Women of Song" (Narada). * * * 1/2
Narada, home to such popular composer-performers as David Lanz and David Arkenstone, branches into vocal territory with "Celtic Voices: Women of Song." And in bringing the entrancing music of Mary McLaughlin (from Ireland), Connie Dover (the United States), Maireid Sullivan (an Irish-born resident of Australia) and Emma Christian (the Isle of Mann) to a broader audience the label has done a good turn indeed.
Each singer performs three or four songs, and while many of the selections are familiar-sounding Celtic folk, at least one song per artist really makes the ears perk. McLaughlin's is "Sealwoman/
Yundah," with voices and the traditional "Yundah" chant weaving over a synthesized foundation. Dover's stunning "Cantus" tells the story of Jesus and Mary in 6 minutes, employing three languages: Latin, Gaelic and English. Sul-livan's tremulous soprano stands out on "Colour Me," a pop-folk tune, and the old favorite "Waly Waly (The Water Is Wide)." Christian, who also plays a solo recorder on one track, sings in Manx in spare, haunting songs like "Little Red Bird."
As with Narada collections like "Celtic Odyssey" and "Celtic Legacy," Earle Hitchner's booklet notes prove valuable and enlightening - and the package includes lyrics and translations, a perk other record companies could usefully emulate for those of us who enjoy the music but for whom Gaelic is a beautiful alien tongue.
- Ray Boren
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.