Customer Reviews

Brian Boru

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As with much of Alan Stivell's work, this is a decidedly odd album. In some tracks, this makes for brilliant listening. In others, unfortunately, it crashes and burns. The most notable example is the version of "Mna/ na hE/ireann," which is not bad instrumentally but is utterly destroyed by Stivell's act of butchery against the Irish language. In ainm Croim! The man's a Breton-speaker, is he not? One would think his sense of pan-Celtic brotherhood would lead him to at least try to not abuse and distort another member of the family. The same problem devastates the track "Cease Fire" as well. That said, much of the instrumental work is brilliant. And in "Brian Boru," the one verse of Stivell's mutilated Irish is made tolerable by Ma/ire Breatnach (IIRC) singing a lovely setting of two verses from Caitli/n Maude's "Amhra/n Gra/ Vi/tnam," ("Vietnam Lovesong") a gorgeous testament to love in wartime. Of course, this has almost nothing to do with the tenth century High King of Ireland and ancestor of the Clann Ui/ Bhri/ain, but it _is_ beautiful. In many ways that odd juxtaposition sums up this album: quite lovely, but it makes little sense.

Though this lacks the strident political overtones of his earlier music, it shows Alan Stivell to be as alive and vibrant as ever. Though my Gaelic is very rusty, I was able to enjoy this album and have found myself even humming quite a few of the tracks.

This album would please the more mainstream listener who would like an introduction to Keltica. And Alan Stivell is one of the great voices whose haunting singing, and etherial harp playing move through us like "The Winds of Keltia".