Horse With a Heart

Altan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 5, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Green Linnet
• ASIN: B000005CNR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,477 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The late 1980s and early '90s were a time of confusion for Irish music. Experiments mixing ancient music with a modern sensibility that began in the '70s bore fruit with the international successes of Clannad, Enya, and Mary Black. But the fusion of old and new also led to countless recordings in which harp noodling and synthesizer twiddling was passed off as Celtic music. When Altan released Horse with a Heart, it served as a welcome reminder that Irish music that hewed close to tradition still had a place in the world. Although this was Altan's second CD, it was the first where they gelled as a band. The wife-and-husband team of Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy are the emotional center of the group. When they play the fiddle and flute together you feel as if you are overhearing an intimate conversation. --Michael Simmons

Product Description

Horse With A Heart by Altan

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic songs, reels and highlands, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Horse With a Heart (Audio CD)

This is truly a wonderful compilation of reels, jigs, airs and highlands. There are so many cd's out there which are marketed as "celtic music", carrying promises of relaxation while you listen. Happily, Altan's music, and this cd, belong in a very different category. There are some beautifully relaxing songs, however most of the tunes make you feel much better than just relaxed. The reels and jigs make me want to get up and dance, everytime I listen to them. In my opinion, the fiddling quality and lovely Gaelic vocals make this cd a real stand out. I would have liked to have seen a lyrics sheet included, but otherwise I have no complaints. It is extremely rare for me to appreciate every track on a cd, but I do like everyone of these very much.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What is a Green Linnet?, June 28, 2000

By 

dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horse With a Heart (Audio CD)

Purchasing a CD released on the Green Linnet label isn't a guarantee that you're buying traditional Irish music, but you can be assured that you're not getting Irish rock `n' roll (U-2). Husband and wife team Frankie Kennedy (fiddle, flute) and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (fiddle, vocals) lead us through elaborate fiddle medleys, majestic ballads and charming airs. I've had the good fortune of seeing them in concert before Frankie's death in 1994. They perform exuberant "dueling fiddle" jams (The Curlew, Welcome Home Grainne) that are nothing short of breathtaking. I think they're referred to as "reels." Mhaonaigh's voice is elegant (The Lass of Glenshee, Tuirse Mo Chroi), and Frankie's solitary flute transports me to a far distant time and land (An Feochan). Horse With A Heart is compelling and authentic: tradition has not been toned-down or modified for mass appeal. The CD is also a bit of a history and music lesson. What does "Green Linnet" mean? Despite the confusing CD booklet material, it's also challenging (for Non-Irish music fans) to figure out which compositions are reels and which are jigs ("airs" are a dead giveaway), and distinguish between the Gaelic and Irish vocals. Enchanting compositions and a lesson in Irish music literature.