Customer Reviews

The Brothers McMullen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sarah McLachlan the high point of this album?!?!? Listen, I own 4 of Sarah McLachlan's albums and I enjoy her very much but this is Seamus Egan's album and his musical talent is incomperable as always! I seriously doubt whether the Amazon.com reviewer who wrote the review for this CD had any knowledge of traditional Irish music at all. If he had he would certainly have recognized what masterful album it is and how brilliant Mr.Egan truly is! Sarah McLachlan didn't even write the tune for "I Will Remember You", Seamus Egan did. You've got to love clueless reviewers! Buy this album (and the rest of Seamus Egan's/Solas's cds)!

This album finds its feet essentially in Seamus Egan's captivating score. Sarah McLaughlan's track, albeit surreal, is in no way the "highpoint" of this album. This soundtrack showcases Seamus Egan's immense talent as a composer and juxtaposes it well with the film itself. A film about 3 Irish catholic brothers in Long Island trying to find a firm footing. It almost seems to be an estranged relationship with the new land, and their entrenchement with their culture and history, remnescient by the frequent use of the "Irish Guilt" phrase in the movie.

Its this picture of ireland and the roots/culture that Seamus Egan pulls out and paints beautifully on an alien canvas (analogous to their life in USA). The tin whistles, fiddles, harp etc. lend a magical sound.

The Second track "A week in January" opens with a rousing and well paced guitar laden track followed by a very traditional celtic ensemble. "When Juniper SLeeps" and "Once upon a time" are two of the best tracks on the album. Touch that magical chord deep within. Cape Breton set, actually transports one of the north east canadian shores, of which the music is very remniscent. Finally, the final track offers a beautiful and simple closure to the entire labour of love.

The merits of the movie are quite hotly debated, but the strenghts of this score are unquestioned, some even suggesting that whatever little substance the movie had was made bearable by the beautiful score. Certainly i am going to digress from the heated debate on the film content, and urge you to give this listen for what it is worth, the actual score that makes the album, and not the one track which is but a part of the grand ensemble.

I have become a HUGE fan of Sarah McLachlan and when I first heard this song I fell in love with it. I found out later it was not on any of her CD's in the US, only in Canada. I was so glad to find it on this soundtrack. I have enjoyed this CD as well as watching the movie.

If you're one that really enjoys Irish music, you'll love this CD. It has some of the most beautiful Irish music I have heard. I had to buy another CD since I wore out the original one I bought! Seamus Egan really knows how to pull you into his music and feel the emotion behind it. I have never loved a CD so much over all these years since I bought it seven years ago.

While I agree that Sarah McLachlan's intro song is good, I think the tracks that stand out more are the instrumentals. I like especially "A week in January". The music arrangements in this album are very interesting and well done. Great to listen to when you're in a quiet mood.

One obvious high point of this CD is Sarah McLachlan's beautiful song. She just has such a honey voice. But the Celtic music that comes after really captures the irony, humor and feeling contained in the movie. I would reccommend both seeing the movie and listening to the soundtrack. They're both masterpieces of entertainment

While I like the Sarah McLachlan track, it is the great work by Seamus Egan that really makes this album. In fact, McLachlan's song is merely a reworking of Egan's "Weep Not For The Memories," track 12. "...Memories" and several other tracks on this album can also be found on Egan's beautiful "When Juniper Sleeps." Egan, who at the stunning age of 14 had become the All-Ireland champion on no less than FOUR instruments (mandolin, flute, banjo, and tin whistle) is an incredible talent and certainly deserves top billing over McLachlan on this album.

Yes "I will remember you" is a great song...but this album is much more than that one song. The score captures the mischevious (sp?) and soulful aspects of the film. The musicianship is outstanding and Egan seems unafraid to tap into genres that depart from the Irishness of the movie, combining jazz, folk, guitar fingerstyle, and even klezmer (I know I spelled that wrong!). A great listen.

I do really like "Sarah McLachlan", and the song here is one of her better ones, but I often start this disc on track two. Whether or not it reminds you of the movie, it's just a great 11 tracks, some upbeat, some not, of traditional irish instrumentals. Flute, guitar, and all the instruments you would expect. If you like this cd, you may also enjoy the "Don Juan De Marco" soundtrack. It begins with a great "Bryan Adams" song, and the rest is all spanish guitar. It's also very good.

I love this whole CD but IWill Remember You is definetly my favorite!