Ru-Ra

Ru-Ra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 1, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 1, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mermaid Productions
• ASIN: B00004UG1B
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,059 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Kissing Reel

2. 1,000 Deathshrouds Upon Love

3. Two Sisters

4. Sad am I

5. White Banners

6. The Selchie

7. Two Pence Worth

8. The End of the Beginning

9. A Restless Night

10. Dancing Birds & Reluctant Lovers

11. The Black Mill

12. Heather of Rona

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gaelic song meets 80s synth-pop - brilliant!, March 31, 2001

By 

Scott Martin (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ru-Ra (Audio CD)

I should, perhaps, state at the outset that this is not a completely unbiased review: I spent a year at the University of Aberdeen in 1995 studying Gaelic, and got to know Thomas quite well. I knew then that he had a phenomenal feel for the beat, but I never had the chance to experience his keyboard prowess until the release of this album. Just think - all those years I missed out on....

This album is unique in the growing genre of Celtic fusion music; rather than melding traditional sounds with rock (Capercaillie, Wolfstone) or electronica (Martyn Bennett, Afro Celt Sound System), Thomas and Maggie cast these tunes as 80s hits from an alternate pop universe. Information Society meets Altan? Maybe - but it works, mate! The inherent rhythms of the traditional tunes (many of which were originally work songs or orally-transmitted instrumental tunes) fuse wonderfully with the dance-floor synth and percussion, yielding a dance groove of irresistible proportions. If you can't hang with this, get back to yer cows!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classically beautiful and delightfully funky, July 26, 2000

By 

Ken Irwin (Springfield, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ru-Ra (Audio CD)

This is some of the most inventive new Celtic music I've heard in a long time. The vocals are clear and the intonation is lovely. The mostly-electronic instrumentation adds a whole new dimension to the music without detracting from the simplicity of the traditional vocal style. I'm particularly fond of "1,000 Deathshrouds Upon Love" and "The Selchie", but the whole album is great.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maggie & Thomas are wonderful performers, January 30, 2002

By 

Glasgow (Westfield, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ru-Ra (Audio CD)

Maggie Carchrie and Thomas Leigh have performed for many years at the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival in Westfield, MA... Each year they have gotten better and better and we are glad to see that they have released a CD. Their performances have always been very well received and attended. As Ru-Ra has been such a popular group at our Festival, we are having them back again in July, 2002. We highly recommend the album!!