new song

Even in the Shadows by Enya Premiered Today, Friday the 13th.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e8iRKReYPo%20

Screenshot of her recent Amazon interview with questions asked by fans

A screenshot of Enya: A recent Amazon interview with questions asked by fans

With Dark Sky Island, Irish singer-composer Enya has brought a lot of fullness not just vocally but also emotionally. The latest single Even in the Shadows deals with the end of a relationship but arranged in an upbeat way that sets the balance to the rather sad subject.

She started working on the album around 2012. It was a time of great turmoil for me personally. Another devastating personal loss followed a year later and you have to understand why I am looking forward to this new release. It’s like whatever happened to me in the past few years eventually led to this moment of clarity and yes why not a good soundtrack for that!

Perhaps a lot of bloggers out there would marvel at the technical details of the song(so many) but I am writing in a personal point of view like how her music means to me. We all experience loss in big or small ways. But it teaches us humility and kindness. That even experience or caution could not save us from things that are beyond our control. And in this trial by fire we get to know who we are and what we are capable of achieving.

Even in the silence
I hear my heart
It’s still a part of you
And even in the morning
when light has come
I don’t know what to do.

This is a very ‘human’ song that Enya has ever composed in her career. Not that she hasn’t sung anything like that. A Moment Lost and Last Time By Moonlight are examples of how she appeals to our sensitive side. In So I Could Find My Way, I think I wept the day I heard it.So yes Even in the Shadows is a perfect pop song. Think Brian Wilson and Phil Spector. The drum and bass parts are insistent that make you feel like you need to move. In the chorus part with the lines:

I could fall and keep on falling
I could call and keep on calling

You can notice her voice breaking and plunging into a dark contralto. It’s like she is singing this tune in an old crumbling castle overlooking a grey morning outside, with leaves falling all over the place. You can feel the desolation but also an inner strength as propelled by the rhythm and the higher choral parts. Roma Ryan is a lyrical genius. Her words resonate to all regardless of experiences. We all feel them. And Nicky Ryan made the music so huge and so powerful.

Even in the Shadows is perhaps the new direction for Enya. And when you lived life within the shadows and light, you sometimes loose that anchor. And you have nowhere to go but the future. And you perhaps end up like this beautiful tune. Full of excitement and healing.

Dark Sky Island her latest album will be available worldwide on November 20, 2015. Visit www.enya.com for more details.

‘When Music Speaks’ by Ranagri as Part of National Charity, Music in Hospitals

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https://www.facebook.com/RanagriMusic?fref=photo

I am one of the staunch supporters of the belief that music heals the soul. I think as we help people recover physically, it is also important to look after their emotional and mental recovery. I am delighted to know that one of the bands I covered in the past is part of this charity project. The music of Ranagri is a fusion of traditional Celtic, World, Jazz and Classical music. The energy is irresistible which fills you with joy and makes you want to dance. Here’s the statement from the group about ‘When Music Speaks.’

We are very proud to be associated with this project for the great national charity Music in Hospitals (est 1948). ‘When Music Speaks’ will be released on May 10th for Mental Health Foundation awareness week. 100% of the proceeds from this song will go to MIH enabling fantastic free concerts in a variety of health care establishments. Please support them by pre ordering ‘When Music Speaks’ here https://itunes.apple.com/…/when-music-speaks-si…/id977780090

Shotgun Down The Avalanche by Cara Dillon from the New Album “A Thousand Hearts”

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This was posted last April 30. This was supposed to be a blog but I noticed it was part of the ‘menu’ section above. I took it down and placed it here for everyone to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPclRr2bh_M

Folk diva Cara Dillon is making rounds all over the UK to promote her new album A Thousand Hearts. I already sent the interview questions to her publicist Ali and I am just waiting for the results. It is amazing to finally be able to ask her directly everything related to her musical career. Big thanks to my friend Paula for watching her concert and getting me the spot to do an interview. Here is one of the songs from that album and it’s called Shotgun Down the Avalanche.

It is a fantastic folk ballad featuring Sam Lakeman’s acoustic guitar (joined by equally amazing musicians). Her voice always awakens something in me. It is a beautiful voice that sounds like it’s coming from the pipes of a sad angel.

Buy the new album here: http://www.caradillon.co.uk/albums/thousand-hearts-1