The Crooked Road

William Coulter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2001)
• Original Release Date: August 17, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Gourd Music
• ASIN: B00000JWCU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,493 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

William Coulter is an acoustic guitar player who has explored Celtic music for years, as on the exquisite Celtic Requiem CD with singer Mary McLaughlin. Coulter brings a chamber music sound to Celtic music on his latest foray. Taking traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland, and England, Coulter weaves them into original arrangements that include his frequent collaborators from the Santa Cruz and San Francisco area. Among them are cellist Barry Phillips and his wife, wind player Shelley Phillips; pianist Paul Machlis from Skyedance; and Northumbrian piper and concertina player Alastair Anderson.

Together these musicians weave a delicate embrace around familiar tunes like "Women of Ireland" and the devastatingly forlorn "Stor mo Chroi," as well as some lesser known but achingly beautiful songs such as "The Crooked Road to Lisdoonvarna," on which he adds the Turkish kaval to this Irish tune. The road may be crooked, but William Coulter makes it worth the trip. --John Diliberto

Product Description

Following up on the success of his previous recordings, Celtic Crossing and Celtic Sessions, William Coulter once again draws from the rich repertoire of airs and dances from Scotland and Ireland for this latest recording. Along with traditional works, Coulter has also selected a number of contemporary compositions for this recording, including a wonderful duet with concertina master Alistair Anderson on Anderson's "Dog Leap Stairs."

Coulter is joined on two tracks by virtuoso classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery. Together they perform the Sean Ó Riada classic, "Women of Ireland" and the beautiful Turlogh Ó Carolan air, "Elanor Plunkett." The result is a lyrical, emotional and enchanting listening experience.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coulter does it again, April 18, 2001

By 

tresi (Avondale Estates, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crooked Road (Audio CD)

I have this little image in my head of how I would like to wind down after a tough day at work. The image goes like this-- I come home and plop down in a great big overstuffed sofa with a cup of hot tea, a good magazine, and I play a CD of soothing, wonderful music. Rarely (oh, heck-- never) do I actually get to live out this little dream. Life is just too hectic. However, if I were to snatch enough time to indulge myself, this CD would be the one I'd put on. It is simply beautiful Irish music played on guitar (with many assorted accompanying instruments). Coulter is a wonderful artist with a real feel for the soul of Irish music. So go home, find a comfy chair, sip your tea, and put on "The Crooked Road." You won't be disappointed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars relaxing, October 26, 2010

By 

jdcolmer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Crooked Road (Audio CD)

I am a George winston fan but was looking for something new w/ more than just piano...this is simply lovely