The Best of Eddi Reader: Her life, art and her persistence that is truly Scottish
30 Song career spanning remastered Double CD.
Compiled by Tom Rose. Mastered by Mark Freegard
My introduction to the beautiful voice of Eddi Reader was through the TV program of Jools Holland. I think she was promoting her album Angels and Electricity. What a gorgeous voice! I started paying attention to her releases.That is why I am gushing all over when I got the chance to review her 2-disk Best of Album. The Best of Eddi Reader takes us to several decades of music- when she shot into international recognition with Fairground Attraction up until her more recent Celtic influenced music.
The album has 30 songs and it is eclectic. You can hear original pinned tunes as well as covers-I love her version of Declan O’Rourke’s Galileo-a song that has been covered by many artists. She closes the collection with Henry Mancini’s Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her voice is bright and clear as sunrise.It is a fine instrument of nuance (delicate as rose petals) and with heartbreaking intensity that is very Scottish. Her music combines influences from American Rockabilly, fifties standards, traditional Scottish and pop. There is always something for everyone, in this album.
Her gifts extend to acting as well. She played Jolene Jowett, a singer and accordionist, in John Byrne’s Your Cheatin’ Heart,a comedy-drama series for BBC Television, set in the country music scene in Scotland. In 2009, she performed in period-drama Me and Orson Welles, and starring Zac Efron, and Claire Danes, performing a song in a style of 50s standard.
She is also a prominent advocate of the Yes Scotland movement. In fact, Reader is writing a book f(or publication in 2016) about her great-uncle Seamus Reader, who was head of the Scottish Brigade of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, when the Irish War of Independence broke out in 1919, later becoming a founder of the abortive Scottish Republican Army, which attempted to replicate the Irish struggle in Scotland between the wars.
The Best of Eddi Reader is a closer look at her interesting musical career and which makes her a fascinating Scottish treasure. Call her feisty or amazing-she’s got it all covered, being able to maintain a multi-faceted career which continues to enchant listeners and will continue to do so.
I am one of the lucky people who got the chance to preview the new album Lig Amach by Irish guitarist Robert Doyle. So glad he agreed to this interview format. I gave him written questions and he answered them in video form and then I put everything together. Nothing fancy. And I think you would agree that simplicity is indeed a thing of beauty!
Lig Amach is going to be released on Friday 22nd of April. A live performance on the 28th will follow. This is a beautiful album! I highly recommend it as a 5 out of 5 stars!
I’ve been playing Destiny by Celtic Woman many times. New voices and new songs. And lots of magical listening experience. Check out my entry regarding the album in my previous post.
It is a great honour to finally get to talk to one of the artists, notably my favourite violinist Máiréad Nesbitt who took the time to write the answers to my questions. You are probably wondering what it’s like to be part a powerful musical ensemble that continue to make music after a decade right? Well here’s your chance to know.
1. The new lineup brings something exciting to the music. What happened to the previous members?
As with most women we have desires to go off and start families and get married! Most of the beautiful women that have passed through Celtic Woman decided to leave to come off the road and settle down. Some have also gone on to have solo music careers too.
2. I love many tracks in Destiny. My personal fave is How Can I Keep From Singing? What made you decide to record this song?
I love that song too but as a listener from the wings! We love Clannad and Eabha was taught by the lead singer Moya Brennan so it seemed ideal for her to sing it.
3. I See Fire (for me) threatens to be better than the original. What’s the story behind the inclusion of this song?
We wanted to move towards the future whilst not forgetting what made people love the group in the first place. Ed Sherran has deep Irish heritage so his music is heavily influenced by that- especially this song. It’s very Irish folk in style and is also a modern one so it seemed like the perfect fit. I also love story telling and this song has such drama in it.
4. You are back with your US Tour. Wow 85 Cities! How are you preparing mentally and physically for this marathon tour?
Well, personally I follow a plant based (vegan) lifestyle to keep myself healthy of mind, body and spirit and I also work out every day to keep my immune system strong. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, water and sleep when we can!
5. Can you give young women tips on how to sing beautifully like Celtic Woman?
Just be yourself. Don’t try and mould yourself into who you think you should be. Accept yourself from within and sing from your heart. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is happy in herself.
6. What’s next after the US Tour?
We have lots planned including a hopeful trip to Asia-then onto Australia and back to the states for our Christmas symphony tour where we get to perform gorgeous Christmas songs with a different orchestra every night. I am also recording a solo album with Celtic Woman in the summer when we get off the road which I’m super excited about!
Where:The Cobblestone Backroom, 77 King Street North, Dublin 7 Free admission 8.30pm
As a long time admirer of his music, I am happy to announce that Mr Doyle has finished a follow-up to his compelling album A Life in Shadows. It was well received among Celtic and Irish Music sites. If you love laid back songs written and performed around the voice and acoustic guitar then you better hear Lig Amach. I will be posting my own thoughts about the album soon!
Read more about the album through the press release:
ALBUM LAUNCH: Thursday April 28th The Cobblestone Backroom, 77 King Street North, Dublin 7 Free admission 8.30pm
“Fingerstyle guitar expert…. with a unique vocal edge” Irish Music Magazine “… a new acoustic guitar maestro”R2 Magazine
Dublin fingerstyle guitarist and singer ROBERT DOYLE releases his second album Lig Amachon April 22nd followed by an album launch concert on April 28th in Dublin’s Cobblestone. Admission to the concert will be free – as Robert explains as “a special thank you to my fans and supporters for their enthusiasm and support along the way”.
LIG AMACH (Let Out) is the follow up to his well received 2011 debut album Life in Shadows. Mostly recorded in Dublin over the last year the album showcases his distinctive approach to writing & arranging for the guitar. A collection of instrumentals, interpretations and self penned originals, Lig Amach vividly displays Robert’s dynamic playing & singing – stretching from the roots of American folk singing and blues, Irish traditional through to classical & flamenco guitar techniques. Watch the video for SLIABH RUSSELL/OUT ON THE OCEANhttps://youtu.be/WzcSe9TzkC4
While the album features a number of thrilling collaborations, Robert sets down a challenge for himself when he performs live as he will perform entirely solo at the album launch on April 28th in Dublin’s Cobblestone “It really tests your abilities and you learn a great deal about the music when performing in front of an audience. I choose to play solo so that there’s nowhere to hide on stage. You learn a lot about yourself as a musician when it’s just you in the spotlight”.
Creativity runs in the Doyle family – the album cover photo was taken by Robert’s brother Eamonn Doyle who is an internationally recognised photographer. Previously the brothers worked together – Robert as a studio engineer – on Irish label D1 Recordings run by Eamonn, who also founded the DEAF electronic festival.
Robert began playing guitar aged 8 and is a past student of renowned French-Algerian master musician Pierre Bensusan – “Pierre is one of the top fingerstyle guitarists in the world but more so he’s also a fantastic musician. By studying with him, I wanted to gain an insight into how he was able to master the instrument and develop his own individual style. After studying with Pierre, my focus changed from being a guitar player to becoming a better musician and to continue developing my own style”. In previous years Robert has performed at Celtic Connections and the Moniaive Folk Festival.
Recording the album was a longer process than initially planned as Robert explains “I recorded the guitar and vocals in my home studio with additional instruments recorded in Dublin, London and Italy. Originally I had planned to record this album, like the first, in a studio with an engineer but I later made the decision to record it myself to have more flexibility. The first sessions for the album took place 3 years ago and didn’t go well so I had to go back to the drawing board. I was only working on the album at weekends so the process was quite drawn out. Theguitar parts are all live recordings, something I’ve always tried to do.”
Like the last album 8 of the 10 tracks were mixed by Marc Carolan who works with Muse. Ross Dowling, who produced the last James Vincent McMorrow album also did a mix as well as Graham Watson from Floodplain Studios in Dublin.
Lig Amachis a departure for Robert in many ways from the first albumwith a keen focus this time on writing and performing in English. “The songs on the previous EP and album were based around songs sung in Irish but for this release I wanted to explore singing in English more.”ACROSS THE LINE was written in 2014 at the time Islamic State attacked and laid siege to Kobani in northern Syria, causing a massive number of people to flee across the border into Turkey. FLAGS OF BELFAST, which has a traditional air, was written around the time of the Belfast City Hall flag protests while ROUND TWO is a song about a woman who won’t wait too long for a man to make up his mind!
Robert interprets and reimagines a number of covers on Lig Amach including the opening track AN SEANDUINE, a song he learnt from singing in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann with this version taking inspiration from recordings by Seamus Begley and Danú. COUNTRY BLUES is a song Robert learnt from Dock Boggs, an old-time banjo player from Virginia, first recorded in 1929.
Another progression on Lig Amach isRobert’s collaboration with a wide number of renowned musicians “After recording the demos I wanted to add some other instrumentation to the songs. The first collaboration was with Chris Haigh, a fiddle player I first heard on an Oumou Sangaré album.” Francessco Ganassin (saxophone) and Magnus Mehta (percussion) also feature along with Aoife Dermody & uilleann piper Eoin Dillon on a collaboration, Flags of Belfast, which came out of a recording session in Floodplain Studios.
Lig Amach will be available from all digital outlets from April 22nd, from Claddagh Records and robertdoyle.net
How Can I Keep From Singing was first made famous by Irish singer-songwriter Enya from her album Shepherd Moons. The inclusion of that track in the new album by the #1 ensemble Celtic Woman was an exciting move. I am curious about their rendition. As I’ve always identified them with a huge arena sound. Their vocals are powerful but I also know that they can deliver songs with nuance and grace.
Yes I was pleased! I love the voice of Éabha McMahon. I think it is in my ‘repeat’ list in my iTunes. But this is only the beginning of what’s to come. There are fascinating renditions of tracks from popular Irish bands and solo artists like for example the rousing Whole of the Moon originally done by The Waterboys. I See Fire (Ed Sheeran) is so good it threatens to be better than the original. Those who like popular Celtic groups will recognize many songs from this album. And if you are a hardcore lover of Irish music then there are also Gaelic treats for you. According to the Daly press release:
“Óró sé do bheatha ‘bhaile,” an anthem closely connected with the 1916 Easter Rising. The group also delivers timeless traditional Irish songs such as “Bean Pháidín” and “Siúil A Run”highlighting the beauty of Ireland’s heritage and its Gaelic language.
You’d probably wonder if after 10 chart-topping albums the Celtic Woman sensation would loose its charm. But no. There are always surprises with each album. Destiny is an album that sounds contemporary as it is traditional. It is very ‘out there’ in terms of having the pop smarts and also in bringing young followers to the fold-those who aspire to be the next Mairéad Carlin, Susan McFadden, Éabha McMahon and violinist and founding member Máiréad Nesbitt.
Read the full press release below:
CELTIC WOMAN IS BACK!! U.S. TOUR HITS 85 CITIES
CELEBRATES #1 WORLD MUSIC ALBUM, DESTINY
Irish music sensation CELTIC WOMAN celebrates their brand new album, DESTINY, on their 85-city North American concert tour of the same name.DESTINY has dominated the #1 spot on Billboard’s World Music Chart for SEVEN weeks since its January release – their 9th record to hit #1 in a decade-long career, a true testament to the ensemble’s enduring popularity. Celtic Woman will perform songs from DESTINY on its 85-city North American tour that launched in Nashville on March 4th and continues through early July.
The DESTINY Tour features an entirely new production showcasing vocalists Mairéad Carlin, Susan McFadden and newest member Éabha McMahon along with violinist and founding member Máiréad Nesbitt, accompanied by a group of equally talented musicians and dancers.
DESTINY( on Manhattan Records) is Celtic Woman’s 10th CD andfeatures a fusion of traditional Irish music and modern songwriting including the Waterboys’ classic “The Whole of the Moon,” Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire,” from The Hobbit film, Mutt Lange’s “Walk Beside Me,” Brendan Graham’s “Sometimes a Prayer Will Do,” and the popular theme song from video game, “Skyrim.”
In 2016, as Ireland commemorates the Irish Rebellion of 100 years ago that led to its nation’s independence, Celtic Woman goes back to their roots and offers a rousing version of “Óró sé do bheatha ‘bhaile,” an anthem closely connected with the 1916 Easter Rising. The group also delivers timeless traditional Irish songs such as “Bean Pháidín” and “Siúil A Run”highlighting the beauty of Ireland’s heritage and its Gaelic language.
The companion DVD DESTINY : Live in Concert, was filmed in Dublin, in the Round Room at the Mansion House, the historic home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. It has already begun airing on local public television stations as the latest in Celtic Woman’s lengthy series of successful PBS television concert specials. The multi-platinum, all female ensemble made its debut on PBS in 2005 and has achieved massive success encompassing 10 chart-topping albums, nine PBS specials, over eight million albums sold, and platinum sales in nine countries. Celtic Woman regularly performs to sellout audiences across six continents and 23 countries, with an especially devoted following in America. Watch the DESTINYtrailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QnCHBVM6Y0
For full tour dates and more information on Celtic Woman go to : www.celticwoman.com
Recorded by Tim Martin at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Assistant Recording Engineer – David Montuy
Strings recorded by Damien Channelles at RTE Studio 1 Dublin
Strings arranged by Gavin Murphy & conducted by Joe Csibi
Musicians
Piano/Keyboards – Gavin Murphy
Backing Vocals – Shelley Buckspan
Guitar – Jimmy Smyth
Guitar – Bill Shanley
Bass Guitar – James Blennerhassett
Low Whistle – John O’Brien
Drums and Percussion Ray Fean
Percussion- Andy Reilly
Celtic Woman Choir (see below for details)
Celtic Woman String Orchestra (see below for details)
Bean Pháidín
Trad arr. Gavin Murphy/Meav Ni Mhaolchatha (Rathmines Music Ltd)
Featuring Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin, Eabha McMahon and Máiréad Nesbitt
Produced by Gavin Murphy. Mixed by Andrew Boland.
Recorded by Tim Martin at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Assistant Recording Engineer – David Montuy
Musicians
Percussion – Andy Reilly
Percussion – Ray Fean
Guitar – Jimmy Smyth
Guitar & Mandolin- Bill Shanley
Bass Guitar – James Blennerhassett
Piano – Gavin Murphy
Whistle – John O’Brien
Westering Home
Trad arr. Gavin Murphy (Rathmines Music Ltd)
Featuring Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin, Eabha McMahon and Máiréad Nesbitt
Produced by Gavin Murphy. Mixed by Andrew Boland.
Recorded by Tim Martin at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Assistant Recording Engineer – David Montuy
Strings recorded by Damien Channelles at RTE Studio 1 Dublin
Strings arranged by Gavin Murphy & conducted by Joe Csibi
Musicians
Bagpipes – Anthony Byrne
Guitars – Jimmy Smyth
Guitar – Bill Shanley
Percussion – Andy Reilly
Drums – Ray Fean
Piano/Programming – Gavin Murphy
Upright Bass – James Blennerhassett
Celtic Woman Choir (see below for details)
Celtic Woman String Orchestra (see below for details)
When You Go
Bernd Wendlandt, William Billy Andrews (Valicon Songs/ Melodie der Welt/ Edition Little White Raven/ Rathmines Music Ltd)
Featuring Susan McFadden, Mairéad Carlin, Eabha McMahon and Máiréad Nesbitt
Produced by Bernd Wendlandt & William Billy Andrews
Recording, Mixing and Arrangement – Bernd Wendlandt
Musicians
Guitars – Jörg Weisselberg
Bouzouki -Oliver Pada
Hurdy-Gurdy – Staphan Groth
Flutes, Bag Pipe – Fiona
Keyboards, Programming -Bernd Wendlandt
Bass: William Billy Andrews
Drums: Felix Lehrmann
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus (Bocu Music)
Featuring Maíréad Carlin
Produced by Gavin Murphy. Mixed by Andrew Boland.
Recorded by Tim Martin at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Assistant Recording Engineer – David Montuy
Strings recorded by Damien Channelles at RTE Studio 1 Dublin
Strings arranged by Gavin Murphy & conducted by Joe Csibi
Musicians
Piano – Gavin Murphy
Celtic Woman String Orchestra (see below for details)
Walk Beside Me
Mutt Lange (Peer Music)
Featuring Éabha McMahon
Produced by Chris O’Brien & Graham Murphy
Recorded and Mixed at The Production Suite, Dublin
Musicians
Keyboards, Programming- Graham Murphy
Bass – James Blennerhassett
Strings – Ken Rice
Bagpipes – Anthony Byrne
Uilleann Pipes – John O’Brien
Backing Vocals – Davey Long
Backing Vocals – Fiona Harpur
The Hills of Ireland
Trad arr. Gavin Murphy/Máiréad Nesbitt (Rathmines Music Ltd)
Featuring Máiréad Nesbitt
Produced by Gavin Murphy. Mixed by Andrew Boland.
Recorded by Tim Martin at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Assistant Recording Engineer – David Montuy
Strings recorded by Damien Channelles at RTE Studio 1 Dublin
Strings arranged by Gavin Murphy & conducted by Joe Csibi
Musicians
Piano/Keyboards – Gavin Murphy
Bass Guitar – Eoghan O’Neill
Guitars – Ewan Cowley
Drums, Percussion & Hand claps – Ray Fean
Celtic Woman String Orchestra (see below for details)
The Celtic Woman Choir: Shane Barriscale, Tristan Caldwell, Morgan Crowley, Ernest Dines, Louis Mahon, Eunan McDonald, Paul McGough (director), John McKeown, George Rice
The Celtic Woman String Orchestra
Leader: Kenneth Rice
Violin 1: Anita Vedres, Lynda O Connor, Sylvia Roberts, Karl Sweeney, Lidia Jeweloszewicz – Clarke, Katie O Connor, Istvan Bernacez
Violin 2: Brona Fitzgerald, David O Doherty, Nicola Cleary, Ros Brown, Dara O Connel, Denise Doyle, Catherine Humphries, Matthew Wylie
Viola: Aine O Neill, Lisa Dowdall, Randall Devine, Karen Dervan, Carla Vedres, Niamh Roache
Celtic Music Fan 