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MUSIC REVIEWS

Celtic and Celtic Fusion

Celtic Vocals  |  Celtic Mouthmusic  |  Celtic Ensemble  |  Celtic Spanish  |
Celtic Harp with Ensemble  |  Celtic Harp Solo  |  Celtic Whistle & Flute

  Celtic Vocals(see also Celtic Mouthmusic, below)

NOIRIN NI RIAIN and the PAUL WINTER CONSORT   | Click Here to buy at
CELTIC SOUL
    Living Music
My nose was twitching in anticipation of a new album from the Grammy Award-winning Paul Winter Consort, when the ethers delivered this mystical album featuring the vocal talents of County Limerick native Noirin Ni Riain (pronounced norEEN n'REEyin). Like Enya and Loreena, and like Sheila Chandra, Ni Riain's sound is appealingly strong and pure as springwater. The songs draw from the age-old "sean nos" tradition with its passionate melodies and colorful vocal embellishments. The orchestrations are lush and evocative, yet the instrumentals do not overshadow the singing. The Consort musicians offer a compassionate amphitheater of black peat, emerald grass, slate rock, and clinging mist -- an exquisite setting of drones, pipes, and Indian instruments that showcase Ni Riain's swallow-flight vocals. The "Consort sound" with Winter's distinctive sax rarely kicks in, but Winter adds pristine power to the themes whenever he joins in. Percussionist Glen Velez, pianist/organist Paul Haley, cellist Eugene Friesen, and others briefly share the spotlight, yet great care is taken to place these songs as jewels. There is something special here--an awe-inspiring listening experience that makes me feel like -- well -- bowing. - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

ANUNA
ANUNA   | Click Here to buy at
    Celtic Heartbeats
This self-titled album by the men and women's vocal ensemble, Anuna, was first released in the UK in 1993. The group is best known for performing on the "Riverdance" production, but here they are heard sans tap dancers. Music director Michael McGlynn arranged the music, which includes unique presentations of chants of the Middle Ages, hymns and invocations, lullabies and traditional Celtic songs, Scottish "mouth music," and C.V. Stanford's setting of a poem by Mary Coleridge. McGlynn is featured soloist on the dramatic chant, "Media Vita"; the lyrics deal with death, and the imposing drumbeat and on-the-edge harmonics really mean business. A hymn about Mary features Katie MaMahon as soloist, while the men's voices form a drone behind her; here, the Irish whistle frames the piece. "The Raid" uses drums to create a warlike atmosphere; the vocals verge on Manhattan Transfer stylings.  "Bean Phaidin/An PocAr Buille" is a suite of two comic folk songs; I can feel the foam from the stout floatin' in the air. The pieces were recorded "on location," and most tracks have the spatial ambiance of a cathedral. Instruments: Men's and women's voices, Irish harp, percussion, whistle, violin.  - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

Celtic Mouthmusic

CAPERCAILLIE
BEAUTIFUL WASTELAND   | Click Here to buy at
    Survival Records/Rykodisc
Capercaille hails from Scotland, and many of their songs take the form of "puirt a beul" mouth music, with the very smooth sound (be it ever so toungue-twisting!) of Karen Matheson taking honors as lead vocalist. The North Guinea girl group, Sibeba, join on a few cuts, embellishing their joyous and dynamic sounds to the mix. Most tracks feature mellow rhythmic grooves, with just a touch of club sophistication. "Hebridean Hale-Bopp" is a lively collection of three puirt a beul songs; Matheson surfs smoothly over the snappy rhythms, the essence of cool. "Kepperhall/25KTS" showcases the flute of guest artist Mike McGoldrick, while "Thiocfadh Leat Fanacht" is a gentle, otherworldly piece encouraging world travelers to return to their native land. BEAUTIFUL WASTELAND is a heartfelt and rich tribute to the vocal traditions of Scotland. Instruments: Lead and backup vocals, fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, accordion, drums, uilleann pipes, whistle, and bass.- Carol Wright, New Age Voice

Celtic Ensemble

NIGHTNOISE
THE WHITE HORSE SESSIONS    | Click Here to buy at
    Windham Hill
THE WHITE HORSE SESSIONS is the seventh Nightnoise album for Windham Hill. The live album (recorded in Oregon) also signals a few changes in the group: this album is the last Nightnoise appearance of fiddler Johnny Cunningham, and the group has moved back to dear old Ireland. Though recorded live, the mixing and richness of the sound -- not to mention the blazing speed of some tunes -- make the audience disappear. When they do clap, it is as if they must pause to pick their jaws off the floor. The album opens with "Silken Flanks." If it's horseflesh we're referring to, I'd rename the piece "Sweaty Flanks" -- the notes flurry by in tongue-twisting incredulity. Hats off to composer Brian Dunning on flute. "Shadow of Time" by pianist and vocalist Triona Ni Dhomhnaill is a warm ballad that rolls down like smooth Scotch; her other song, "Heartwood," is a moving anthem to steadfast and ancient trees. Musical pyrotechnics explode again on "Jig of Sorts," "Do We," "Moondance," and "At the Races." Laments and proud, passionate marches (the kind the whole pub would sing) round out the album with plenty of heart. "Hugh" is a fanciful piece radiating lilting and sparkling counterpoint between piano and guitar (Michael O Domhnaill). Irish through and through, but brilliant with inventive spirit. Long may they record. Instruments: Piano, voice, whistle, guitar, flute, fiddle. - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

NA CONNERYS
CELTIC SESSIONS
Honest Entertainment
I've heard so much Celtic "fusion" music, I've almost lost track of where it all started. CELTIC SESSIONS can help up all remember. NA CONNERYS is a group of unnamed Irish musicians who throw themselves into their sets with gusto. The fifteen tracks are organized by groups of reels and jigs, while the lamenting airs are performed alone. "Mna na hEireann" by S. O'Riada is heartbreaker performed just with pipe and guitar. The dances will make you want to kick up your heels in celebration. The musicians who hail from all parts of Ireland have each bowed to in deference to the group, so I can't give credit where it's due. The album's youthful exuberance is worth diving into, and you'll appreciate the excellent sound quality, too! Instruments: Fiddle and traditional Irish band.  - Carol Wright, New Age Voice
 

  Celtic Spanish (see also Celtic Mouth Music, below)

CARLOS NÚÑEZ
BROTHERHOOD OF STARS    | Click Here to buy at 
    RCA Victor
So you think you can't take another Celtic album? Stop and listen to this gem showcasing the talents of master Galician piper and recorder player Carlos Núñez. The cover shows the solitary Núñez posing with his Galacian bagpipes, but open the line notes and check out his supporting musicians: Search barnesandnoble.com for The Chieftains, Ry Cooder, Derek Bell, Nightnoise's Triona Ni Dhomhnaill and Michael Domhnaill, the Cuban band Vieja Trova Santiaguera, vocalist Luz Casal, the female vocal/tambourine ensemble Xiradela, Núñez's own band, and others. Mouthwatering! This combination of Celtic soul and Spanish fire is refreshing, and absolutely irresistible, I don't know where to begin: the sultry Spanish ballad ("Black Shadow," sung by Luz Casal), the intense high-pitched unison singing of Xiradela in "Cantiguerias," the jaunty jigs "The Moonlight Piper" and "Galician Carol," or "Brotherhood of Stars," the lusty fandango featuring Kepa Junkera on the accordion. How about a polka? "Dancing with Rosiña" really cuts up the rug! Or there's the powerful serenade, "Lela," sung by Portuguese singer Dulce Pontes. Núñez shows his mastery of the recorder on the solo "The Rainmaker's Air," a soulful folk tune historically played by knifesharpeners to announce their services. The energetic Cuban conga, "Para Vigo me voy" ends the album with boisterous celebration. The liner notes brim with rich descriptions and dozens of pictures of smiling musicians. One listen, you'll hear why. Excellent! Instrumentation: Galacian pipes, tin whistle, recorders (Núñez); vocals, Celtic folk ensemble, tambourine/vocal ensemble, hurdy gurdy, Spanish guitar, bouzouki, violin, mandolin, harpsichord, Uilleann pipes, accordion, bass, electric guitar, etc. - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

  Celtic Harp with Ensemble

KIM ROBERTSON
WOOD, FIRE & GOLD    | Click Here to buy at 
    Dargason Music
It's not so far from Celtic music to early music; step back in time (and across the English Channel) with Kim Robertson, one of the nation's top Celtic harpists. This wonderfully rich album, with sophisticated arrangements by Eric Segnitz, features a small string chamber ensemble with woodwinds, horns, accordion, guitar, and voices (all Robertson's). Many of the songs and tunes are Old French, and even the sturdy American folk hymn "Wondrous Love" is sung in the romance language. Some pieces have a snappy Medieval courtyard ambiance, but all are lovingly embraced with broad strokes of romance. Delightful and proud is "Crossing the Bridge," a three-part tune inspired by Scottish bagpipe marches. "Bells of Paris" is a complex canon layering the traditional French chanting of cathedral names with the Irish tune "Drowsy Maggie" and the Scottish song "Logan Water." Robertson recorded all the voices -- extraordinary. "Alayi" is a heavenly mantra with a soaring orchestral score. Lullabies, laments, and plenty of Celtic music, too. A lovely, hearty album. Instruments: Celtic harp, voice, chamber ensemble, horns, woodwinds. - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

ROGER CALVERLEY
CELTIC MYSTERIES II    | Click Here to buy at
    Oasis Productions
The first CELTIC MYSTERIES album in 1989 helped set the standard for the new sound of Celtic music. This follow-up album is just as enchanting, and with its 20-bit mastering, the sound is spaciously clear. The atmospheric music by Celtic harpist and composer Roger Calverley is vivid, dramatic, and evocative. The liner notes give clues to the album's magic: kings crowned with gold and glory, processions of bards and harpers, the heartpounding rhythms of battle, vaporous incantations, the setting sun and passing of dreams, awaiting the return of a lover, sea birds that wander the skies, slender maidens, and cauldrons of dreambrews. The mysterious Celtic images are nice, but Calverley's strong and lyrical melodies, exquisite arrangements by Bruce Mitchell (keyboards) and Ken Brown (flutes, guitars, bass, and synths), and live instruments make this album a particularly enjoyable musical experience. "Gently Passing," for instance, features a lovely and hypnotic Celtic knot for guitar and flute; after a dreamy passage, the melody settles into a bittersweet waltz. It's easy to visualize a circle dance in "Incantation"; the tambourine-accented music switches between a galloping 6/8 rhythm and a stately 4/4. I know we all have Celtic albums galore, but try to make room for this one. Instruments: Celtic harp, synth strings, keyboards, violin, cello, flute, guitars, bass, Uilliean pipes, whistle, oboe, English horn, percussion.  - Carol Wright, New Age Voice

  Celtic Flute and Whistle