Play on Light

Sileas | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 2, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Green Linnet
• ASIN: B00000I04H
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,038 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Buain A'choirce

2. May Colvin

3. Cumha Easbuig Earraghaidheal [Lament for the Bishop of Argyll]

4. Laill Leathag

5. Cameron MacFadyen/Dr. Cameron's Casebook/Miss Kirsten Lindsay Morrison

6. Mo Dhòmhnullan Fhèin (My Own Donald)

7. Planxty Crockery/Domhnall Dubh

8. Pi Li Li Liu

9. Dr. Florence Campbell of Jammalamadugu/Duncan Johnstone

10. The Castlebay Scrap/Stuarts Rant

11. Ain't No Sunshine/The Flawless Juggler

12. Miss Ann Cameron of Balvenie/Amy's Rollerskates/Paddy's Leather ...

13. Tha Sior Chaoineadh

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Play on Light shimmers, floats, and sways much like morning's first light dappling crisp bed linens. The harp, said to have been fathered by the biblical Jubal (eight generations from Adam), is not only the oldest stringed instrument, but one of the oldest all round. Cunning then, that contemporary Scottish harp duo Sìleas should make music at once both ancient and fresh. Perhaps best known as one half of the folk band the Poozies, Patsy Seddon on gut strung and Mary Macmaster on mixed metal-strung harps create an exciting blend of rounded and sharp tones, accented by the lovely folksy lyrics sung in both Gaelic and English. Bringing to mind Edinburgh's green esplanade peopled with elderly ladies, young lovers, and museum visitors beneath the cobbled stone road leading to the castle, track 5's three parts range from a days-of-yore pipe march adapted for harp to a meditative, brooklike trickle to a spirited, puddle-splashing jig. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth it!, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Play on Light (Audio CD)

Play on Light manages to be both introspective and joyful at the same time. Patsy Seddon and Mary Macmaster weave complex melodies around each other, bouncing musical ideas off each other, with the two very different harp tones completely interdependent. Although the music is very carefully crafted, it remains spontaneous, with the tight, honed technique and a flowing, rippling sound providing a rich backdrop to haunting vocals. This is a good album for the times you just need to stop, listen, and float away.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a fantastic album!, November 2, 2000

By 

Ari Lauren (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play on Light (Audio CD)

Play On Light, the third album for the Scottish harp duo Sileas, is a fantastic effort! The interweaving of the very traditional-sounding vocals with the blend of different harp sounds is fascinating. Tracks 6, 7, and 10 are particularly impressive, though the entire album is worthy of praise. And you're in for a surprise on Track 11!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very tradional Harp and Female-vocal music., July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Play on Light (Audio CD)

The only problem I have with Sileas is that there aren't enough releases by them!

I am a Norse Pagan and very much into Tradional,or simi-Tradional, music that harkens back to pre-Christian Europe.

Sileas' " Play on Light", as with their previous releases, avoids the foot stompin' pre-bluegrass sound of many Celtic releases with which I've been disapointed. Even the remake of "Ain't no Sunshine" sounds oddly contemporanious with the other selections.

#7 is my favorite; Planxty Crockery gives way to "Dombnall Dubh", an upbeat but minor-key tradional song that makes my Heathen heart skip a beat.

If I had to guess at what the music sounds like in Valhalla, I'd lean towards the sound of Slleas! WASSAIL!!!