Customer Reviews

Liberte 98: Songs & Ballads of 1798

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Liberte '98 sounds like it was recorded at the same time as the singer/songwriter/mandolin player's first solo outing (1996's Legacy). That means more ballads about notable events and people in Irish history, all from the slant of a devoted anti-British republican. Warfield has a decent voice and his passion comes through in every note. True, he sometimes comes off like a one-trick pony, incapable of throwing a fun party song into the mix (the way the Wolfe Tones usually did on every album). But don't let that discourage you. It's refreshing to hear somebody sing about *all* aspects of Ireland, not just the happy and celtic/new age elements.

To commemerate ones history is a noble thing. But to do so in such style is a credit to Derek Warfield. For 34 years Derek Warfield has been the leader of Ireland's most successful group of all time, The Wolfe Tones. This album is in true Wolfe Tones style, patriotic, rousing, spirited, the adjectives are endless. From the "Volunteers of Ireland", to "The Ballad of Ann Devlin", this album reflects the history that has invoked so much pride in Irish people all over the world. From the streets of New York to the U-bahns of Germany, from Dublin, the home of Derek Warfield, to Australia, and all over New Zealand, wherever Irish people gather, this album will be listened to. The album takes us on a patriotic journey over two hundred years of Irish history, a history that has been cruelly influenced by foreign powers, powers that have exploited the Irish people over generations and have ultimately provoked a peacefull Irish people to rise up in Rebe! llion. This album should become a compulsive part of the history cirriculum in every school in Ireland, in America, in Australia and wherever Irish people gather.