Customer Reviews

Danny Boy

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I discovered John McDermott through the Irish Tenors Album and bought this at the same time. I played it many times with enough pleasure to lose one's self in. The Rose of Tralee is my favorite but Danny Boy rivals it. Although mainly an Irish fan,Loch Lomond and Auld Lang Syne are wonderful additions. The Dutchman and Waltzing Matilda were first heard by me from Liam Clancy and I'm sure he will be proud of these versions. Some of these songs are just too beautiful to hear - a stunning experience and I am a new fan. I want more works from John McDermott.

I'm sure many are mislead by the title of the CD, thinking it's your typical collection of Irish Songs. Nothing could be further from the truth. John McDermott has put together a collection of songs from the various wars that have plagued the world in an attempt to ensure that those who fought and/or died in the many conflicts are not forgotten. War is one element of man's sinister side that gives absolute creedence to the statement that "those who forget history are destined to repeat it." Mr. McDermott is one of many who realize that many of those wars are fading from memory and to forget the horrors and suffering they brought about is easier than preserving their memory as a deterrent. Thank You, John McDermott, for the courage to remind us of those things that - while, yes, they're easier to forget - need always remain in the collective psyche of the peoples of the world lest we repeat their folly.

I discovered John McDermott through the Irish Tenors concert on PBS (along with quite a few others). His style stood out from the others. It was less "operatic" and more immediate and approachable. John has a wonderful voice that seems made for the telling of stories through song. The songs on this CD are a mixture the old (traditional songs from both Scotland and Ireland) and the new. All are arranged simply which lets John's voice come shining through. My main complaint about the "Irish Tenors" is that the songs tend to be overwhelmed by the orchestration. That doesn't happen with any of John's work. After you buy this, you're going to want "Old Friends", "Love is A Voyage" and "Remembrance". You might consider just ordering them all now and save on the shipping. "When I Grow to Old To Dream" is my favorite McDermott CD. ... Happy listening!

Let there be no mistake. Loss is the overriding theme of the songs on John McDermott's, The Danny Boy Collection . . . loss of love, life, limb, country, freedom . . . usually as a result of war. Yet McDermott's renditions of these songs impart an emotional sense of a nation's strength, dignity, and faith rather than an overriding sense of sadness. All songs on this CD are delivered in a slow,evocative style, leaving listeners in a breathless, almost dreamlike state. McDermott's tenor is esquisite, his accent both refreshing and alluring, and his delivery near perfection. His use of falsetto at the conclusion of "Danny Boy" is masterful, and "Amazing Grace" quite literally left me wordless. I recommend this work without hesitation. I hope to hear more from John McDermott soon and expect that his recent appearance as part of PBS' Irish Tenors will make that happen.

For anyone with a drop of Celtic blood, this is a must. Mr. MeDermott's voice is incredible and the selection of songs stir my soul.

John McDermott is great... can't say more. But this album is enough to move your deepest feelings and pull at your emotions. It can hardly be called "up lifting", with all the songs of going off to battle, the horror of war, killing and destrucion, and leaving loved ones behind (I TOLD you it was sad!!) But if you can avoid going into a depression, the words and music are fantastic. It is an "experience" to hear this album.

While many reviewers take this album as an opportunity to repeat their war-is-a-terrible-thing mantra, "The Danny Boy Collection" is much more than that. Yes, the two Bogle songs - "The Green Fields of France" and "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" - say that eloquently. I would submit, though, that John McDermott is really carrying forward his theme of remembrance. He has another album with that title, and one titled, "A Time To Remember."
In this album, though, the remembrance is of the kind we have come to call "up close and personal." It is not historical events or social progress that fill these songs, but in each is the picture of one (or two) individual(s) and their tribulations. This is especially true in the Bogle songs.
"The Dutchman" was written - and apparently forgotten - before the word, "Altzheimer's," became part of our language. But lucky are all who have a wife like Margaret, and lucky are we to have been shown this picture by John McDermott. "The Rose of Tralee," "Mother Machree," "By Yon Bonnie Banks," and "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" are about love (or its loss) between two people.
"The Last Rose of Summer" seems to be John's remembrance of his parents: when he returned to performing with the Irish Tenors after the passing of his Mother, he introduced it as her favorite from the time of his Fathers' passing until hers; and the version he includes in "A Time To Remember" is actually his Father's voice.
All seem to agree that the versatility and quality of John McDermott's voice are first rate, and that he uses that voice extremely well. I second that, and would add that as a soloist, he is permitted to show us much more than he ever could as part of the Irish Tenors ensemble.
Many of these songs touch me for my own personal reasons, and I would venture that many will become touching to you, for your own reasons. But for both of us, behind the reasons will be poignant memories. And the title song is the epitome of the bards' art to bring that poignancy to us.
To lovers of Irish music, "Danny Boy" is almost a hymn. To those of us who love it more than a little, the real message of that hymn is in the second verse. Danny's Mother (it could be anyone who holds him dear) says, in the first verse, "Come ye back ... / I love you so." But in the second, what she really prays is that he will show his remembrance for her: by deed, to search out her grave and say a prayer there for her; and by word, to declare his love. "And ye will bend and tell me that you love me, / And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me."
"Auld Lang Syne" could just as well have been the title song of an album of remembrance, but not as effective. In "The Danny Boy Collection", John McDermott bends and tells us that he loves us -- enough to give us our own remembrances on the most personal level, and in such a beautiful way.

There is nothing as beautiful as an Irish tenor and I'm not even Irish. This is as good as they come. I heard it at a friends and after doing so, I had to have it for my listening pleasure.

Since I first heard John McDermott's "Danny Boy Collection" I've been about as balanced about the beauty of his voice as an elephant on a tightrope. My, how this man can sing.

For the listener, The "Danny Boy Collection" is an exercise in sheer pleasure, with McDermott's beautiful falsetto rendition of "Danny Boy" being the highlight. And if a more lovely version of "Loch Lomond" exists, I have yet to hear it. "The Last Rose of Summer" and "The Rose of Tralee" are given the tender treatment they deserve. With John McDermott's rich tenor, even a somewhat maudlin tune as "Auld Lang Syne" comes to life in a way I would not have thought possible. Impeccably done.

In such an outstanding collection of songs, there are many highlights. Two of the most superlative are "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda," a bitter lament to a tragic World War One debacle, the Battle of Gallipoli. McDermott's version is heartbreakingly sad but is guaranteed to make you think about the senselessness of war. [Watching a young Mel Gibson in "Gallipoli" will give you more of an idea as to what I'm referring to). The other is "The Faded Coat of Blue" a Civil War era song of such poignancy and emotional depth as to make a stone cry.

Prior to his sudden rise to success, McDermott was the circulation manager for a Toronto newspaper, just another ordinary working man. That is, other than the fact that he had this incredibly beautiful voice. Which, as legend/fact has it, was heard by some influential people at an office party. Said influential people took John under their wing and the rest, as they say, is history.

Out of the thousand or so albums that I own, THIS is the ONE I would not want to ever be without.

The Danny Boy Collection will force you to think about love, life, honor and home. The man has an angelic voice. I am happier with this CD than any other I have ever purchased anywhere!