Belfast-born Eileen Laverty currently resides in Canada, where some years ago she relinquished a teaching career to pursue music full time. Her debut album, Dancing with Angels, rides on the back of her initial European tour opening for Mary Black in Ireland. Indeed Mary has been some sort of mentor, as she recorded "Wildest Dreams" as her first single for the recent Best of 1991 - 2002 compilation. Having seen Eileen Laverty perform live in Limerick's University Concert Hall, I was taken with her easy, graceful manner with a crowd and the apparent quality within her original material. Dancing with Angels fulfills that initial promise. The material is well written, thoughtfully executed and freely draws from both her Irish Canadian background and her life experience.
"Tread Softly" borrows lyrically form William Butler Yeats "He wishes for the cloths of heaven" and opens in strong confident fashion, emphasizing Laverty's clear unaffected vocals. "Song for Sarah" emerges as another worthy and coverable song. Much of Laverty's material emerges as potential 'hits' in waiting. Musically, the canvas is not dissimilar to Mary Black's recent efforts with a mix of mellow acoustics allied to West Coast, easy-listening AOR. Her strong crystalline voice and forthright delivery also evoke a comparison with her Canadian counterpart Eileen McCann. Two covers, Dougie McLean's "Caledonia" and Steve Earle's "My old friend the blues" even up the proceedings. The former sounds a mite over familiar to regular Celtic ears, but still awaits major discovery by the public at large, and "My old friend the blues" closes in world-weary fashion.
On the evidence of Dancing with Angels, Eileen Laverty's talent awaits discovery, and her potential as a yet-untapped hit factory beckons further investigation.
The rise in popularity of the Irish tenor is another recent phenomenon. In fact, it was only two decades ago at home when we reveled in the prospect of an American tenor Robert White extolling the virtues of the John McCormack catalogue. With the relocation of the late Frank Paterson to the USA and a new wave of tenors including Roan Tynan and Finbar Wright emerging, and the success of Hear My Song, itself a loose biographic file of legendary Irish tenor Joseph Locke, the tenor came back into fashion. Of course, the Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti combination broke the floodgates wide open and made the tenor trio an international Phenomenon.
In Ireland, this combination has found its own niche, with The Celtic Tenors leading the young pretenders pack. The Celtic Tenors -- Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson, and Niall Morris -- have drawn packed houses in Ireland and released their second album So Strong. The musical mix includes popular classics, contemporary material, and songs with a strong Irish flavor and relevance. Nowadays leather jackets, brushed denims and James Dean-like rugged good looks replace the familiar opera suits and austere stares, but essentially the song remains the same. Producer Mike Moran, a dynamic keyboard player and arranger with credentials as long as one's arm, ensures the project is in safe hands. The Vard Sisters -- Wendy, Cathy and Lisa (another phenomenon worthy of investigation) -- join for "Nella Fantasia," with the mix of male and female voices complimenting each other. Paul McCartney's "Mull of Kintyre" for me revisits memories of schooldays singalongs, while hearing "The Green Fields of France" sung by tenor voices recalls Barbershop choirs rather than lusty-voiced ballad singers. While the overall atmosphere is more "refined easy listening," as opposed to "spit and sawdust" barroom intimacy, The Celtic Tenors make their own contribution to a long neglected and now resurrected aspect of Irish music.
Anneliese Cameron's second album, Daughter of Avalon, comes wrapped in an elegant, attractive, high gloss color package. Setting a standard for self produced albums as regards their outward appearance, the music within also covers some high-class grounds. While the pre-Raphaelite cover pose could also signal disaster for some ears and pleasure for others, it is clear that Ms. Cameron knows her terrain and walks it well. In the final analysis, it is down to a case of what way you prefer your main meal.
The Loreena McKennit comparisons are obvious, as Cameron is also a harping songstress and her material contains strong historical connotations. Vocally she has a strong, clear voice able to command a narrative ballad, as displayed on the opening "Erin Gra Mo Chroi" and "The Wind That Shakes The Barley," while her Newfoundland roots emerge on "The Union from St. John's" and "Let Me Fish off Cape St. Mary's," learnt from the excellent Phyllis Morrisy. Her own "Knight of Valour" with its Indian sitar intro and massed vocals recalls Loreena McKennitt and English folkies Pentangle in its Anglo/Eastern arrangement. Having Loretto Reid and Brian Taheny on board helps the endeavor immensely, adding a stronger, more rootsy traditional flavor than most efforts of this kind. Mixing the ethereal and earthy in one cohesive whole, Daughter of Avalon emerges as a top notch self produced Celtic inspired effort.
Neil Adam and Judy Turner are an English/Australian duo whose material is mostly self-penned. Their second album, The Keys To The Field, unveils a wealth of finely hewed material. Using much of their own material, the tunes and songs breathe with a fresh resonance. The title track is particularly poignant, inspired by wording on a gravestone in Adam's birthplace of Northern England, and includes a guest appearance from Kavisha Mazella on backing vocals -- if you haven't heard her stuff, do so ASAP. A musical setting of A.E. Houseman's poem "Ludlow Town" revels in a sprightly chorus, while the setting of "Lord Strathmore and Jimmy Adam" recalls Nic Jones' riveting ballad interpretations. Judy Turner composes much of her shoal of fiddle tunes and reveals herself as an accomplished tunesmith and accompanist. Asturian Celtic band Felepeyu adds some barrio luster to "Al Grassby's Grandfather."
Hugh McDonald's sympathetic production emphasizes the right aspects of the music -- its lyrical qualities and the duo's own instrumental virtuosity. Neil Adam, as well as a being fine vocalist, proves himself no mean guitar player, either, on "Clearing The Mallee," while a jazzy rhythm and swing treatment metered out to "The 8% Swing" recalls Scotland's Rhythm and Swing merchants, The Easy Club. Bright, sparkling, brimful of hidden or previously-unearthed highlights, The Keys to the Field is a discovery. An album such as this is a gift for song interpreter wanting to add new unused gems to his or her repertoire.
Anam Cara's Where the Sea Meets The Sky kicks off with a treatment of "Brian Boru's March" slightly reminiscent of Breton group Triskel. In fact, the Triskel comparisons are more than evident, as both groups employ two harpists at their front line. Anam Cara is translated from the Gaelic term for "soul friend," possibly inspired by John O Donohue's book of the same name. As their name implies, Where the Sea Meets The Sky offers a more restful take on Celtic music, with the throttle off and the pace set firmly in mid gear.
The trio of Pat Aurbeck on guitar and vocals, with Andrew Pollard and Ellen Paquette sharing the harp duties along with bodhran, guitar, accordion and flute, is based in Warren (Pennsylvania, USA). Where the Sea Meets The Sky is their second album. Recorded in Buffalo (NY, USA), this effort exhibits a pleasant, laid back tone. Much of the material is of Scottish/Irish origin, including Turlough O'Carolan's "Planxty Irwin," W.G Smith's "Come by The Hills," and the now almost obligatory "Star of the Co. Down." Welcome inclusions are Thomas Walsh's evocative air "Inish Oir" and "Searching For Lambs." Where the Sea Meets The Sky doesn't always push its foot on the heartbreak, but Anam Cara's relaxed laid-back sound makes for some ideal music for quiet moments.
The Appalachian Celtic Consort performs traditional Irish and Scottish music in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. As the title St. Andrews Day Celebration befits the feast day of St. Andrew -- the Scottish patron saint -- the concentration is primarily Scottish in style. That being said, obvious Appalachian influences are bound to break through sometimes, and they do on "The New Rigged Ship," where the rhythmic swing could come from nowhere else. The selection of tunes includes favorites like "The Athol Highlanders," G.S. McLellan's immortal "Jig Of Slurs," "Cameron Highlanders" and Irish pieces "Heather Breeze," "Cape Clear" and "Banish Misfortune." An interesting inclusion is Dave Richardson's "Calliope House," written in honor of a music house in Pittsburgh in the U.S. named Calliope House, as is "Wild Mountain Thyme," popularized by the McPeake family of Belfast.
Musically St Andrews Day Celebration is well played, with a pleasing combination of concertina, hammer dulcimer, whistle, shuttle pipes and guitar, although the arrangements could do with more bite at times. The moves are right, but the effects do not gel, and the approach sounds more academic than earthy. This renders the tunes well for the quieter pieces, but the all-out tunes like "Jig of Slurs"and "Monaghan Jig" demand an upfront no-holds-barred treatment. Overall St Andrews Day Celebration has its highlights in the quieter moments.
Scottish music is alive and well in Melbourne. The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club & Friends album Reel Cool gets off to a lively full-bodied start with familiar March Strathspey and reel combination. The feel of hearing 37 fiddlers hammering it out is rousing. Production by Redgum's Hugh McDonald and a guest slot by Eric Bogle is bound to lift any proceedings at least one notch higher, and this effort is typical. Reel Cool is not all fiddle-based, as accordion, piano, bass and drums figure into the mix.
If the highland wedding scene in Four Weddings and A Funeral whetted the fancy or roused the blood, this will send it soaring sky high. Another intriguing aspect is the pace of the tunes, as they are rendered at a breathing space where one can catch the nuances -- the unexpected twists and turns don't go unnoticed in a sea of speed, flash and fire. The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club also know when to drop the guard on the intro, as they do on the "Funky Jig Set," where a smaller sounding outfit leads gently into the opening tune before the full entourage joins in. Yet the effect is thoughtful rather than heavy handed or ponderous. Judy Turner (see above) contributes "Mrs. Patricia Glmour" while Eric Bogle repeats his sting room Scottish traditional repertoire "On the road (and the miles) to Dundee" in a laid back manner.
Reel Cool is an appropriate moniker, as this disc has lots of reels on board and is cool in demeanor and approach. Well-done, people.
