Customer Reviews

Dragon Reels

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

 

 

This album is a wonderful showpiece of the Irish bouzouki. I have a personal interest in that I recently started playing the instrument (aka octave mandolin, cittern, and other names) and this album is an incredible inspiration to me. Landes is a master of the instrument and he harvests the breadth of its possibilities with percussive rhythm, resonant chords, and fast melody lines. The songs are a mix of traditional tunes and contemporary compositions that fit well together. If you are not familiar with the instrument listen to some of the soundclips and discover some amazing music.

I've owned this CD for several years and I give it my vote as one of the top ten most listenable CD's I've ever owned. There is some pretty amazing Celtic music going on here and it would be a mistake to consider this as a bouzouki CD. The one vocal, The Devil and the Farmer's wife is wonderful in a dynamic and percussive way, as well as a truly memorable and haunting vocal. My favorites are Sarsfield March and Master Crowley, but truly every cut on this disk is a winner. Roger is top notch and so are the other musicians on this CD. I have an extensive Celtic collection, and the only group that is of this calibre is the House Band.

Loved the album. I suppose you can't actually wear out a CD, but I'm trying! It's a very fresh approach to an instrument that few outside of the Ceili circuit know. Great first album for your bouzouki collection! If you're a fan of Celtic music, it's a "must have".

This group is very competent, and their choice of music is very listenable. I found myself tapping my feet along with some of their songs, and the whole thing is quite enjoyable. Most of the album is instrumental, with the Irish Bazouki as the lead instrument. For that alone, the album is worth getting to fill out any Celtic music collection. Many (if not all) of the songs are reels, so if you liked the Sailors Hornpipe at the end of Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield), you will love these.

Besides, the artists name and the album title are anagrams. How cool is that?