24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fiddle Fan's Fantasy!, July 30, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Close to the Floor (Audio CD)
"Close to the Floor", Ashley's first album, was released when he was just 17 years old. Out of my extensive collection of traditional fiddle music, "Close to the Floor" is still my favourite. No other recording approaches better the sound and feel of traditional Cape Breton music.
For you fiddle fans out there, Cape Breton is an island in Nova Scotia, one of Canada's Atlantic provinces. In the early 19th century, Cape Breton became the home of thousands of displaced Scottish highlanders wanting to flee the cultural oppression they faced under the English at home. Outside of Scotland itself, Cape Breton is where the most authentic Scottish music continues to exist today.
Listening to "Close to the Floor", one can get an appreciation of what a Cape Breton ceilidh (party) is really like. Simple, warm instrumentation, old tunes and energic fiddling makes this a great recording. Ashley demonstrates his virtuosity on fiddle, but also d! oes some stepdancing through the Miss Lyall's set and plays piano on another track.
This is a must-have!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for Ceildh's!, June 18, 2002
This review is from: Close to the Floor (Audio CD)
Ashley MacIsaac is a rare talent that can put Celtic music into main stream and make it sound good. Close to the Floor though is not a blend of rave, trance, pop and rock with his dabblings on a fiddle. This is true Celtic music at its best.
11 Tradiational songs range from Jigs to Reels with wonderful sound and up-beat melodies that is sure to get you to your feet at least once during the 45+ minutes CD.
Tradiaitonal music and a great dinner music CD.
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