Wow Cecile Corbel is back. This time with a new album called “La Fiancée.” As she states in her official website:
September’s here again !!!
I’m happy to announce that my new album “La Fiancée” will be released on October 6…
Can’t wait to share the Cd booklet and the songs with you !
Hope to see you soon
CC
I just saw the video called “Entendez Vous” and I got goosebumps. It’s so beautifully realized that you can tell she takes her Celtic influences seriously. I did see pictures of the shoot as I follow her Instagram account. It has images that could be telling us about her native Brittany. In a way it also looks Arthurian with the water nymphs, wood fairies and elves.
The music of Cecile Corbel has always been wrapped in mystery, mythology and medieval stylings.It has that continental appeal. Her sound will appeal to those who are fans of Enya, Moya Brennan, Loreena McKennitt and Connie Dover. Plus the album packaging is always excellent! Can’t wait to hear the entire album. It will be released through Polydor records.
Let us go back to the days before social-networking sites like MySpace or facebook got around-or just the Web for example. Record buyers have to rely on their visual interpretations in buying albums. I mean it’s there on the shelf, with its glossy cover ; but you didn’t know back then what to expect. There were even record stores that won’t allow you to listen unless you are willing the buy the album(the process of removing the plastic cover was and still is not really something a sales person welcomes). I live in Asia and perhaps, the situation here was different compared to the States.
An album cover was the only telling sign of what the music’s about. Even now. I mean there are those who still prefer physical media over downloads. Album cover plays a big part in marketing. In the music business, building an image is as crucial as making music. The image that can also make or break album sales upon release.
I remember picking up my first Clannad album Banba. I didn’t know their music back then, but I KNOW what to expect. And I was right. The blue , gray and black did say something about the mood of the album. The logo as well as how the photo shoot was done convinced me that the music was that of a haunting, somehow gentle kind with a folk appeal.
Celtic artists do put out beautiful album overs. Bands like Altan, Capercaillie, The Chieftains or Lunasa tell you something…
Here are my examples of album covers that made me buy the CDs:
Today’s writing gives tribute to the muses in flesh and blood and beyond. Do you remember that very first person in your life that made you take on a journey, maybe not physically but rather spiritually or aesthetically? Ever since then have you been following the beat of your personal drum? A lot of people took different courses in their lives when they’re hit by something. Maybe they realized it is a wrong career choice or they’re just expected to be that way. I studied Psychology to be a Guidance Counselor but here I am now toying with aesthetics and spreading the muses of notes.
On the pic: Cecile Corbel
Enya studied music to be a piano teacher. But meeting Nicky and Roma Ryan made her embark on a musical journey that literally too years starting in 1982. She made that decision, lived with it and never looked back ever since. Have you made the same decision based on gut feeling, or is it conviction? Sometimes we make decisions in life that would be considered crazy . But then again who knows? I guess when you listen to your soul, you will now what it tells you. Especially when you get financial and artistic success out of it.
On the picture: Jenne Lennon
Loreena McKennitt, studied to be a veterinarian. But the call of Celtic music was strong in her blood that she had to follow it. It wasn’t easy because she had to market her recordings at that time and eventually own her own record label(Quinlan Road) which was a rare feat for a woman in those days. Have you ever tried to do things your way no matter how financially hard it is? Did that voice inside you said that you have to go on no matter what because it is something you must do to stay sane? I will take this quote from Brian Tracy: The depth of your belief and the strength of your conviction determines the power of your personality.
Cecile Corbel studied to be an Archeologist. Right now she has two albums out. There are lots ands lots of musicians out there who continue to create wonderful music . Those of you who read my interviews here realize that a real musical career is not an easy road. Sure there are popular acts out there who are younger and sell millions of records-but until when and to what extent? We know what celebrity lifestyle does to people. Family value is not the only reason that make sane people. Experience as well as the company of good people also contribute to this. This applies to all of us no matter what careers we choose. We have to love what we’re doing in order for things to follow. And we have to make sure that we are surrounded by people who have our best interest in life.
Personally, I think music is supposed to be a vehicle of healing other than just a means of expression. I love all kinds of music. There are those that come and go. You know the kind that you love the first time you hear it but grows stale with late. Then there are those that just grows on you and you don’t mind listening to again and again. You can fake production . But you can’t fake passion.The time and energy a musician put on the record to ensure that it is ripe for the world , is also the time it takes for the record to stay in everyone’s ear.
So have you sat down today and thought about what you really want in your life? If you have then amen to that. Who knows? One day you might become that strange and exciting voice we will be hearing. Or the creator of that music that we will always love.
Let’s face it. Without a beautiful vehicle, even the most beautiful voice amount to nothing. I have seen this happening to singers whom I think have brilliant voices but who never really “took off” because of some technicalities or direction that muddled their gifts.
I think vocal skill and artistry should match. That is why it takes a really good composer to create a successful singer . Let’s face it. Singers who have horrible voices can after all, cheat their way due to studio gimmickry. But a beautiful composition interpreted by different singers will still sound good.
How can you explain the success of “You Raise Me Up” by Secret Garden? It has been sung by different singers and never sounded less than a pearl! Thanks to Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham, that song will be immortalize in years to come. Enya‘s May it Be from Fellowship of the Rings has been interpreted by the likes of Hayley Westenra and Kiri Tikanawa.
Sure people might disagree with versions they hear but one could not deny that a beautiful song will always live on no matter how many times an attempt has been made to butcher it. Not to forget Joni Mitchell’s gem “Both Sides Now’ which was also recorded by Judy Collins,Joni herself and Clannad.
I first discovered American singer Connie Dover when I got a copy of CD Review in the early 90s.This line caught me and I knew I have to find her recordings:
“Just occasionally, a voice arrives on the folk scene that is so pure, so beautiful, so magical, that it tells you: this is how to sing a song. Such a voice has Connie Dover.”
— The Scotsman (Scotland’s National Newspaper)
Connie posseses one of the rarest voice in the folk music industry. I find it totally beautiful. The title track Somebody evokes longing, driven by acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. The Baron of Brackley has that old Fairport Convention feel to it. Other tracks are mid-tempo, divided into lively and traditional airs.Cantus is one some that’s actually based on a Gregorian chant but translated into 3 parts: Latin, English and Gaelic. Connie indeed has a knack for doing tireless research and singing in multi-language.O’er The Hills and Far Away is a paean for unrequited love set on a lively sway with a Scottish feel. Shenandoah is sung acappela with her voice dubbed several times to create harmony vocals. Rosemary’s Sister is about the perils of war. So far this collection pays tribute to the journeys of different people coming from Ireland and Scotland, and then settling into early America, bringing with them songs that’s as old as a thousand years.
Let’s face it. Without a beautiful vehicle, even the most beautiful voice amount to nothing. I have seen this happening to singers whom I think have brilliant voices but who never really “took off” because of some technicalities or direction that muddled their gifts.
I first discovered American singer Connie Dover when I got a copy of CD Review in the early 90s.This line caught me and I knew I have to find her recordings:
Celtic Music Fan 