Ireland

Looking Back:Connie Dover’s Somebody

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TPM101I 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.

 

For detailed information,please visit her official websiteconniecowgirl

Also visit Amazon.com to purchase the album.

A New book about Clannad

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Clannad the early years

Clannad the early years

Have you seen this already? The New Clannad Book 

the discription reads:

A new book detailing the life and career of Clannad in pictures and words. 

 

It is often wisely quoted that, to truly understand the meaning of the present, one needs to reflect upon the past. This adage proves most appropriate when exploring the traditional heritage and subsequent career of the international award-winning musical group Clannad. On this journey we see the family ascend from their Tory Island roots through the rolling Donegal countryside to the majesty of the world stage. While they soar towards success, we will follow the versatile clan as they appear on television screens, major motion pictures and ultimately the Grammy podium. As the fairy tale story of Clannad unfolds through photographs and history it becomes evident why they are proudly proclaimed Ireland‘s most successful international ambassadors of the Gaelic language. 

more info is available here:Clannad Website

A Splash of Orinoco Flow on Live Ireland Radio2

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

mylogo

Been listening to Barry Dunne of liveireland.com when the first few chords of Orinoco Flow by Enya started playing just after Westlife’s Swear it Again.It’s actually radio 2 which focuses more on contemporary Irish music. For those who are into traditional stuff, just click on radio 1.

I have been a subscriber for a year now and I always enjoy the playlist. I do frequent radio 2 for the traditional music featuring The Cheiftains and Altan etc but once in a while when one feels funky U2 or Van Morrison can be the answer.

Clannad is working on a new album

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  Yes it is true. For those who never heard it, Clannad is recording a new album and is probably finished and confirmed by the official site http://www.clannad.ie/ The Grammy -winning band who gave us Theme From Harry’s Game as will as I Will Find You (theme from The last of the Mohicans) is once again in perfect form.This is worth the wait.

Loreena McKennitt’s New Compilation CD

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 15 Comments

amdti-large-pack  I am glad to hear that Canadian recording artist Loreena McKennitt has released ‘A Mummer’s Dance Through Ireland’. The record is a compilation of her Irish themed music which I think is very appropriate since she did find inspiration in Ireland when she was still starting up in the 80s. It’s the serenity and melancholy of the Irish landscapes that lend themselves in tunes like Stolen Child (Elemental), Bonny Portmore (The Visit) and Mummer’s Dance (Book of Secret). Loreena is what J.K.Rowling is to fantasy enthusiasts. She has created a distinctive genre singing in that strong and unique voice of hers that one critic likened her to a Homer’s Siren in The Odyssey.

  My interest of things Loreena McKennitt started when I read a review about her in Newsweek magazine somewhere in the mid-90s. It was a brief account of her evocative voice and her references to St.John of the Cross and William Shakespeare. I also got my first taste of her recording when a friend lent me the tape of Mask and the Mirror. I fell in love with the whole haunting atmosphere she introduce on each of her recordings.  For me atmosphere is very important. That is something lacking in Rock, Jazz and pop music and you can’t blame me if I really like artists who are into re-verb and stuff. Congratulations to Ms McKennitt for being back after a ten-year absence from the music scene.

More infos are available here: http://www.quinlanroad.com/shopping/mummers.asp