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New Album Out:Simple Pleasures by Poitín

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 1 Comment

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Poitín are:

Jaroslav Macháček – fiddle and founder member

Jeremy King – bodhrán, vocals, Brighton-born

Jakub Siegl – guitar, vocals

Jan Brabec – bouzouki, banjo, whistles

Sasha Marešová – whistles, flutes

Tomáš Pergler – concertina, whistles

It is the start of Autumn and we got an auspicious release from Czech-based Celtic band Poitín. Simple Pleasure is the new album and it marks the continuation of their exploration into Celtic styles while retaining their distinctive sound.This is also their sixth studio album, spanning sixteen years of recording history.

Simple Pleasures has thirteen tracks (my lucky number) and you can hear instrumental as well as vocal tracks driven by their punchy and elegant delivery. The Jolly Beggarman, the opening track tells us what to expect in the album in terms of the overall atmosphere. Introduced by Jakub Siegl’s acoustic guitar strumming, the song was recorded by Planxty in 1973(other bands also recorded the song). And although I forgot the Planxty style, I love this version and arrangement. There’s the banjo extravaganza (featuring Jan Brabec) of Brendan’s Reels, the John Martyn pinned Spencer the Rover and many more.

Every band member has a moment. Last Beautiful Loneliness highlights the playing of Sasha Marešová and Jaroslav Macháček. O’puss No. 7 ( is one of my favorite tracks) features amazing variations and Tomáš Pergler’s concertina. Pleasant Month of May is perhaps Jeremy King’s most beautiful vocal performance. I wish it were longer though. Twenty Candles on Poitín’s Cake  is the right tune to wrap up the album because it goes out with a bang.

Everything you can expect with the group is in this album: attention to detail, excellent playing and great post-production technique. Sonically it is their slickest album to date. I also love the album liner notes featuring the photography of Vladislav Škach.

It is always an occasion for The Celtic Music Fan when a new Poitín album is out. It is a pleasure to watch their every release and that they continue to be a musical force as a band.

Band bio:

Poitín formed twenty years ago in Pilsen in the Czech Republic and have toured in Poland, France, Italy and Germany. All the members are Czech apart from the singer and bodhrán player who is originally from Brighton in the south of England. Their latest album Simple Pleasures (out September 2016) is Poitín’s sixth studio album. The 13 tracks are a mix of traditional Irish, English and Scottish songs, jigs and reels, but many of the sets also feature original tunes by the band. Poitín play concertina, bouzouki, banjo, guitar, fiddle, whistles, flutes and bodhrán, and former band member and sax player Helena Marková returns as a special guest to add another interesting twist to this new album.

 

Sing by Jennifer Licko: The Sunny Side of Celtic Music.

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The Appalachian elements in her songs provide the balance to the misty and often mystical atmosphere of Scottish traditional music. That is why her latest offering “Sing” shines a musical light on every corner like a summer morning. Sing evokes a feeling that is at home with Reggae, Ska and Bluegrass. Her previous effort, A Thousand Curses Upon Love’ actually won the Celtic Album of the Year by Celtic Music Radio. According to her press release, Licko wanted to record an album that felt a little closer to home:

Jennifer sings Scots Gaelic dance & work songs from the perspective of the music’s adopted home in the Carolinas. Original songs in English that express her own folk music style compliment this new Celtic sound which could only have taken root from a North Carolina native who spent her childhood years Scottish dancing.

 

Sing opens with mouth music SEINN O CHURADAIL O/THOIR A NALL AILEAN THUGAM. Licko channels her inner priestess making the Gaelic vowels and consonants beautifully mesmerizing. You don’t have to understand the language to feel the passion in the music.

Light the Way is written and compose by Licko herself.

“I want a finer day

where the sun just lights

the way, and run…

See all that I can see,

Feeling wild and free..just run…

She sings the chorus with a child-like wonder, yet the acoustic alternative style keeps it real and grounded. FILL IU O is another Scottish tune with an Americana twist. THE TIDE has a reggae vibe. Puirt a beul lightens up RUIDHLIDH. It is a short track that dances around your mood.

Flying High is another original recording which is a love song. The Major 7 chords evokes warm sunny afternoons by the beach.EADARAIBH A HUINN O/’S IOMA RUD THA DHÌTH ORM follows. I think I first heard it performed by Scottish band Capercaillie if I am not mistaken. HE NA MILIBHIG gets a bluesy treatment and it is another standout track from the Sing.

SOME ROADS LEAD ON ( words & music by Bill McKay) is another English track owing its style to Irish hymns. I BHÌ À DA closes the album accompanied by the exquisite beat of a bodhran.

Sing is a unique vision.This proves that genres can be fused in the hands of an expert, and the end result is always something magical.

 

Links:

https://jenniferlicko.bandcamp.com/album/sing

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jenniferlicko2

http://www.jenniferlicko.com

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLickoMusic/

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Enya is back with Dark Sky Island and what have I learned so far?

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

New Enya album Dark Sky Island will be out this year, November 20.

Seven years folks. Yes it took Enya seven years to come up with a follow-up to her holiday album And Winter Came. And for the first time in many months I am doing a bit of redesigning. This site looked old. I feel old when I post here. So many things happened. I have moved on. I discovered new passion. The seasons have changed me. But one thing remains. Every time she releases a new album I feel the seasons of my life shifting. It’s like whatever happened to me, no matter what happens…that familiar sound will always remind me what kind of person I am(or used to be). Do you also feel this? Do you feel the bite of revisiting old events? Ir is there something in your past that is not that bad? I think for me if ever there is that ‘equalizer’ then it has to be music. With the release of Dark Sky Island, what have I learned from Enya?

  1. Stay true to your style no matter what people say. Yes we always add layers. We don’t change but we are capable of morphing into another person when situation calls for it.I don’t ever forget a mistake and I always remember. But then again we customise our lives to carry on because that’s what we have to do. If we don’t then we die. And when we die then all the struggles that we did and those who loved us will be for nothing. So yes we aim for the best. In all of us and everyone. But we will always stay true to who and what we are in the seasons of our lives.
  2. Don’t do anything unless you mean it and you do it passionately. This is what has always defined Enya’s career through the years. She doesn’t care if another album comes out in 2025 or 2030. The important thing is that the process was done as she (Nicky and Roma) intended the album to be.
  3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Have you ever lost someone so important in your life that every year you miss that person? This is the same with music. She doesn’t put out albums year after year. Because face it, no matter how innovative you are as an artist, you need to take a break from your fans and your art. Or else you will have nothing left to give in say, five years from now.

I probably sound tired or morose writing this. But life has been like that for the past two years. I am glad I have decided to hit the gym after all these years. It helped me in controlling my life, my moods and my time. And yes what life will be without Enya music?

So what’s the theme behind Dark Sky Island? According to Enya:

“This album has a theme of journeys,” Enya said. “Journeys to the island; through the length of a lifetime; through history, through emotions; and journeys across great oceans. So although it’s not a ‘themed’ album, as such, we nevertheless have an underlying connection between songs.” 

Sounds like my life.

Hear the new single Echoes in Rain below: