Customer Reviews

The Beauty of the Earth

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Has it been a while since you've discovered a vibrant, fresh talent? Perhaps years ago a friend wanted you to hear a CD from a new musician who went on to be your all time favorite....

Beauty of the Earth by Lydia McCauley could be this years' version of that experience. Put Appalachia,Ireland,Washington State, Italy, Loreena McKennitt and Enya in a jar and......... SHAKE!

Lydia McCauley's new CD, The Beauty of the Earth, is a well thought-out, beautifully produced, and thoroughly enjoyable album. I love every song on it.
I have enjoyed Lydia's previous CDs, but her new one is my favorite! I find myself listening to it everyday and it never fails to lift my spirits. There are moments of pure ecstacy in several of the songs.
I am impressed with the quality of Lydia's musicians. They work together in a wonderful way, each one seems highly skilled. The recorder player adds an early music sound, the violist displays an array of styles, the guitarist is outstanding, and the bass and percussion fill it out nicely.
If you like Mary Black, Loreena McKennitt, or Kate Rusby, I would highly recommend that you buy this CD!

As always, songstress and keyboardist Lydia McCauley offers a refreshing purity in her music--a simplicity and directness of both voice and sentiment, and a graceful acceptance of the dichotomies of life. Beauty and loss, pleasure and pain, love and conflict--she celebrates them all in song with the thoughtfully inspiring lyrics and soft-voiced comfort of a nurturing mother. McCauley's love of family, nature and God come shining through this warm, wistful, optimistic music. Something new on this, her third album, are the frequent vocal harmonizations. They very appealing--well suited to the standard folk-country harmonic structure of these pieces, which practically begs for a sing along. McCauley's long-time band includes some wonderful improvisers whose style fits perfectly with her compositions: Phil Heaven on viola; Frank Jackson on recorders, penny whistle and wooden flute; Brian Cunningham on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, synthesizer; Lynne Givler on double bass and background vocals, and Jason Darling on percussion (ashiko, cymbals, bodhran, muzhar, bendir, darambuka, conga, shakers, rain stick, and chimes). Try also her next albums, "Moon of Wintertime" and "ForeignLander," "The Strayaway Child" trilogy by Jerry Read Smith, and anything by Loreena McKennitt or Kate Price.