Highland Cathedral

Phil Coulter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA Victor
• ASIN: B00004KD0S
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,178 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Pop songwriter and Irish instrumentalist Phil Coulter melds the traditional and contemporary on his American debut, Highland Cathedral. Filled mostly with light, airy piano tinkling, this music soothes with simple melodies while recalling the Celtic tradition. Soft uilleann pipes and whistles swoop in and out of Coulter's piano, and his occasional use of harp, violin, accordion, and cello add a new dimension (albeit unexciting yet interesting) to the music. Coulter is also unafraid of the synthesizer, which on such songs as the title track, "Tranquility," and "If These Stones Could Speak," creates a lush, timeless feel akin to the music of Enya and one that works well. In fact, Aoife (pronounced "ee-fah"), a protégé of Maire Brennan, Enya's sister, contributes a crystal soprano to select tracks and these songs are definite highlights. Not for the listener looking to push listening boundaries, but rather for those plainly in love with pleasant New Age Celtic music, Highland Cathedral well satisfies. --Karen K. Hugg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Celtic Fantasies, April 28, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Highland Cathedral (Audio CD)

Take soft piano and string renditions of melodic tunes. Add a smattering of traditional music like 'Flow Gently Sweet Afton' and 'Over the Sea to Skye.' Mix with the occasional skirl of bagpipes and the fine voice of Aife ni Fhearraigh. Put Phil Coulter at the helm and in short order you have Highland Cathedral an album that can best be described as Celtic New Age - if you need to describe it at all.

Enya, of course, owns this market segment, and will probably own it forever. But once you leave her own ingenious ability to write beautiful music and sing it just as well, the drop off to second best is a bit steep. Phil Coulter is perhaps the best of them, although his style is more or less one step removed from Celtic film music, it's always the kind of listening that invites you to sit bake and take a weight of your shoulders.

Occasionally, he shows some daring, but for the most part he is theme and variations of traditional sounds. And, perhaps, a bit too much them and not enough variation. Even so, I like Highland Cathedral, and probably always shall. Like most of my generation, I am a secret Celt. Entranced by legends, and music and sounds that always seem a bit better than the ones to which I am heir.

And this suits me fine, whether it is that martial bagpipes of 'Highland Cathedral,' the easy familiarity of 'The Flowers of the Forest,' or the beautiful singing on 'If these Stones Could Speak' or 'Our Island Barque.' While this music will never move mountins, it can still move the listener a bit closer to comfort and peace. No small accomplishment.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Music, August 15, 2001

By 

Diana (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highland Cathedral (Audio CD)

I have had this cd for about a month now and I never get tired of listening to it. It is relaxing without being boring. I love the way Phil Coulter gives a discription about each song giving you a background of how he wrote it and what it represents. My husband loves his music and even my four year old grandson loves the "drum song" (you will know which one I am refering to when you hear all of the beautiful sounds of all kinds of drums as the focal point put together with the music. I highly recommend this to people who like Enya, Yanni, John Tesh, etc.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highland Cathedral by Phil Coulter, February 18, 2004

By 

lost in a new world "K" (NC United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Highland Cathedral (Audio CD)

This is as good as it gets. Mr. Coulter is in touch with the stars of the heavens, and his music speaks with nostalgia of a world he knows well, remembers fondly, and wishes to introduce to us. Just buy it - you will love it.