In My Prime

Niamh Parsons | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Green Linnet
• ASIN: B00004W1HZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,973 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On In My Prime, Niamh Parsons delivers a gift of a dozen ballads, including old ones such as "Lakes of Coolfin," "Bold Doherty," and "Black Is the Colour" and new ones written in the old style by Andy Stewart, Alan Bell, and Sean McCarthy. Parsons, who was the singer with the traditional Celtic bands Arcady and Loose Connections, has opted for a simple, unadorned backup for these songs, all of which are sung in English. She remembers ballads are sung stories and that too many instruments can get in the way of telling the tale. Parsons's dusky alto sounds particularly fine on "In My Prime," an a cappella duet with her sister Anne Parsons-Dunne, and "Annan Waters," which she performs as a solo without accompaniment. In the past, songs like these were sung without backup, and because there are no instruments to offer support or to cover mistakes, they are the ultimate test of the traditional singer's craft. The singing of Niamh Parsons passes the test with full marks. --Michael Simmons

Product Description

In My Prime by Niamh Parsons

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 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So here's to you, Niamh!, September 27, 2000

By 

"callie-b" - See all my reviews

This review is from: In My Prime (Audio CD)

Niamh Parsons has an unerring sense in choosing good songs that are suited to her gracious, warm voice. The traditional songs are unusual: "Green Grass it Grows Bonny" is a hauntingly sad song about a maiden with two sweethearts ('I just said I loved you to set your mind at ease, but when I am from you I'll love whom I please'); "Annan Waters", sung in séan nos (unaccompanied old style) perfection; and "Black is the Colour", familiar to American folkies, is given a beautiful treatment. Perhaps my favorite is a newer song by Alan Bell: "So here's to you" -- which we should all sing at farewells and special gatherings. The more you listen to this voice, the more in love with it you will be.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars in her prime, indeed, December 17, 2000

By 

Jerome Clark (Canby, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In My Prime (Audio CD)

Like its predecessor Blackbirds and Thrushes, In My Prime is an appealingly unaffected, straightforward collection of mostly traditional songs from Ireland's vast repertoire, with emphasis on Niamh (pronounced Neeve) Parsons's calm, capable vocals. In other words, no evidence of the Phil Spectorish production which -- I may be being unduly optimistic here -- seems to be falling out of favor among Celtic-music revivalists. It's just guitar, mandolin, piano, accordion, and bass, and often not even these. Parsons can deliver an unaccompanied ballad just fine, and when she's dueting with her sister Anne Parsons-Dunne (as in the title song and the venerable Child ballad "Two Sisters"), you're entering heaven's Anglo-Celtic district. Nobody who does "Lakes of Coolfin" will ever hear a complaint from me about anything. And does anyone know when last in living memory "Black Is the Color" was recorded?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In depth ballad singing., June 14, 2001

By 

Callie "chroi" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In My Prime (Audio CD)

These songs are all old ballads, some by well known writers and some are old traditional tunes. Niamh Parsons does very well at reviving these old tunes. She's learned these songs from recordings by famous artists like Clannad and also from meetings with fellow artists like Karan Casey and Frank Harte. She does very well at making the music sound so purely traditional, with no keyboard synthesis, and accompniant on instruments like the guitar, harmonica, accordian, fiddle, and sometimes piano. She also sings a cappella, where her strong alto takes a meaning of it's own. She also sings with her sister and together they bring very deep meaning to these old ballad songs. These songs come from throughout the British Isles, Ireland, Scottland, Wales, and England. Many deal with such themes as love, true love, lost love, and false love. It's for that reason that "When I Was In My Prime" is the perfect title track. This is a traditional English melody in which the flowers symblize virtues. The pink symbolizes curtesy, the violet is modesty, the red rose is true love, and the willow tree is sorrow. Niamh sings with a very beutiful drone. A similar version of this songs is known as "Seeds of Love", and one notable version is Loreena McKennitt's version. I shuold confess that my favorite song is the very sad, "Orphan's Wedding", where I so loved her voice and the moving harmonica. It does go to show that she can sing well both with instruments and without instruments. I could go on for a long time describing how wonderful she is at performing each and every one of these songs. It's music that can bring tears to the eyes. Lovers of old traditional music will feel right at home here, with the way the Niamh Parsons preserves the old ballads, sounding so pure in tradition.