Customer Reviews

Resurrected Lover

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Betsy McGovern and Patrick O'Flaherty have planted their Irish roots firmly into New Orleans' rich soil. This CD is not to be lumped in with some of the Celti-trash that has creeped in amongst the top 10. This is music with a deep heart, although touches of that old Irish humor can be found (track 16, "Elvis"). With guitar, bass, mandolin, bodhran, harmonica, shruti box, and more, they weave melodies - some sad, some upbeat - all rich and beautiful.

Betsy McGovern's voice is clear and strong, and her sweet high notes are so pleasing to the ear ("When I Sing About You"). "Lover's Last Chance" tells about an old house that is filled with the memories of its inhabitants' yearnings... Betsy's voice is haunting! "All Around My Hat" and the jigs and reels have my middle school students literally bopping and skipping around the classroom whenever we listen to it during our creative writing classes. "If music be the food of love, play on!" The Poor Clares are food for the soul.

Spectacular album - a perfect mix of ballads and jigs. Betsy's voice is wonderful on this album, especially in my favorite, "Lost Jimmy Whelan." Hope to see them in O'Flaherty's again some time soon!

I bought this album directly from the band during a show in Houston -

I have listened to it quite a bit, and its OK - I enjoyed the band well enough live, and I think the singer has a reasonable voice, but as the memory of seeing them live fades each year, I find the recording itself harder and harder to enjoy -

1 ) Although her voice is good enough for a local band, it falls far short of a "pro" singer which is contrary to the previous reviews of this CD. There is not much idiosyncratic personality in the singing itself, which leaves me (as a listener) concentrating on the tone and pitch, which are both flawed

2 ) The non-traditional material - Again, I think the songs were fun live, but I always skip them when I hear them. Perhaps personal taste, but hey thats what the reviewing is for!

In summary, I would recommend seeing the band if you get a chance, and reccomend buying the CD if you want to support them as musicians, but I do not reccomend buying the CD as something more than that there are thousands of far better traditional CD's out there.

Typically when you only get a couple of reviews for a CD, you know it is the friends of the band who are writing - I am merely putting this in to redress the balance a little, so that (as a buyer) you know what you are getting