Customer Reviews

Promise Ring - Songs of New Eireland

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let me start by stating the obvious - this isn't YES, it's entirely Jon Anderson. Another truth about J.A. albums is that they are all different. Olias of Sunhillow was his prog-rock masterpiece, Toltec was his delve into the mysteries of native American cultures, Deseo was his tip of the hat to world music, Angels Embrace was his ambient album, and 3 Ships (a very hard-to-find classic) was his Christmas album. Each has it's charm and appeal, and some are more succesful than others. The Promise Ring is his Celtic work, and it is wonderful!

From the first moment, you will instantly be transported to an Irish Pub, with all the atmosphere, background banter, laughing, clapping and clinking of glasses you would expect. The production of this CD is unabashedly live and a bit raw in texture. Those who criticize the sound quality must realize that Jon is no stranger to highly produced, perfectly clean recordings, but this approach would have diminished the impact of this work. As it is, this CD captures the fun and good spirits of the audience, along with the utter joy the musicians are experiencing while sharing their music with the crowd.

YES fans will recognize the final song, O'ER as it is incorporated into the song SOMEHOW, SOMEDAY from the Open Your Eyes CD.

Without exception,the songs are all upbeat and joyful, full of good spirit, love and hope for the future. I cannot listen to this CD without it making me smile and tap my toes. If you've never spent time in an authentic Irish Pub with live music, you've missed out on a great night of fun - but you can partially capture the experience with this terrific CD.

Another exploration in Jon's musical talents! He easily blends into the Celtic pub band with ease as he punctuates the Celtic rhythms with his unique vocal stylings. The music is all accoustic and has a "recorded live" feel to it with background voices and pub glasses clinking. From soft ballads to romping "jigs", this CD is one that will get your toes tapping. It's a fun CD for Jon Anderson fans.

At last - one of my favorite vocalists of all time, performing one of my favorite genres of all time - traditional Celtic! And why not? If you listen to Jon's speaking voice on live albums like YesSongs or YesShows, you can tell he has a slight brogue from the North of England where the Scottish influence is felt, so it seems to me a direction for him that is not totally out of character - kind of like Linda Ronstadt discovering her Mexican roots or Milla Jovovitch's beautiful Ukrainian folk song on her "Milla" album. Yes,it's quite a turn if you're used to the oceans of keyboards that usually accompany him, but to me it's always great to see an artist break out of a set of artistic expectations that an audience has built up about them - like Springsteen with Nebraska or the Beatles with Revolver. And I always find it hard to keep my feet still when those great pub musicians are jigging and reeling away as only an Irish pub band can do. If you're a dedicated Jon Anderson/Yes completist, or if you're a fan of bands like Capercaille, Altan, Silly Wizard or very early Claanad, get this album!

It was nice to here a "live intimate" album from Jon. Promise Ring was recorded during a break when YES was in San Luis Opispo during the Union tour.

This album as some great songs from Born to Dance to O'er (basically the entire album IMHO). There is even a song to Jane, Jon's wife.

All in all i would recommend this album to everybody, Yes fan and those people who do not like YES

This is a true IRISH masterpiece. This is not a YES album and doesn't pretend to be. Jon Anderson is in a new place with this album and I hope he stays there. He has really captured the essence of Irish pub music. I am a lover of a wide spectrum of Irish music, including Van The Man, Pogues, Rory, Dubliners, Mary Coughlan, Clancy Bros., Thin Lizzy, etc. and I must say that this album does not take a back seat to any of them. It is certainly much more traditional than one might expect from Jon Anderson, but that is a very good thing. The lyrics (in spite of what a previous reviewer stated) are excellent and the joyous upbeat toe-tapping get-off-your-ass-and-dance celebratory feel of the music is peerless. If you are locked into the JA of YES, this is probably not what you are looking for, but if you are looking for a traditional type of Irish dance music with balls and soul and a happy message this is definately a must have. This is not a New Age album, this a classic of foot-stomping old-time Irish pub music with some great lyrical ballads intertwined that celebrate the glory of Ireland. If you ever sat in a pub in Killarney with a Powers in one hand and a Guinness in the other, mashing your elbows on the table in unison with the lilt of the band , then this is a must have. Buy it and be prepared to dance!

The fact that it is a live recording is what sells it !

I love it...and would highly give it 2 thumbs up.

I think it is a very clear beautiful recording.

This soulful collection is one of the only albums I'd ever give a perfect five to. To be honest, I'd never heard anything by Jon Anderson before, but I was intruiged by the introduction to the songs written on the insert. These beautiful melodies come straight from the soul, as evident in such chillingly relaxing tunes as "O'er" and and "True Hands Of Fate". I love the upbeat "Born To Dance" and "Timing of the Known". This album is essential to any Irish music fan.

Let me say first that, as a fan of both Celtic and Prog-Rock genres, an album where the two have seemingly converged is immediately appealing to me. I am aware that in traditional music, lyrics may vary from one performer to the next, but to dispense with them entirely and use the melodies to back up one's own lyrical efforts is a questionable practice. So, being familiar with Celtic music may actually diminish one's enjoyment of this collection. It's hard, for example, to listen to "Star of the County Down," one of the melodies used here, and appreciate Jon's lyrical overlay. Contrary to one reviewer, this is a very traditional Irish balad and I think it would have been nice to hear him do that one "as is." Still, Elvis had a big hit with "Love Me Tender," a song which was put together of the same elements, so such a thing isn't unheard of. The band is tight and Jon's voice is good as always, but I think the person who would enjoy this most is the Jon/Yes fan that is looking to hear something a little more raw and organic vs. the seasoned Celtic listener.

I guess the two main things that bug me about this album are the use of traditional Celtic tunes without any credit (what's up with that??) and the seemingly forced production of a relatively uninspired album. Don't get me wrong, I'm ordinarily a huge fan, but this came out in the middle of that flurry of Jon albums in the mid 1990s, and you can really tell it's rushed. He put this one out shortly after moving to San Luis Obispo, and the "pub" is one I've been to. The accoustics aren't terrific let me tell you, so why he decided to do this album there is beyond me when he has his own studio space within a few miles. It just doesn't work. It seems like he's scrambling for material, and it shows. I own it just to complete my collection, but don't really listen to it.

This is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard and It boggles my mind how anyone could say this is anything but a MASTERPIECE! I guess I shouldnt be amazed thou, seeing that there are so many people that dont have any taste in music, what so ever! A perfect example is, most People know who marieh carey is and that isnt even music and most dont know who Tony Carey is? There is no bigger Genus than Tony Carey! Check him out! Getting back to this album, the way I see it is, If this album doesn't move you and make you feel good, your not alive!