Customer Reviews

Spiorad

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Talitha Mackenzie takes traditional Gaelic songs and adds pop rhythyms and jazzy backgrounds to transform these songs into something new and intriguing. It's a bouncy album with a strong emphasis on beat. Good for dancing to. Talitha's strong vocals are backed by a wide range of instruments, congas, marimbas, saxaphone, electric violin, to name just a few. This album does combine a lot of unusual sound and voice combinations, but it seems to all work well together. If you prefer the more traditional Gaelic singing and acoustic back up, this probably won't fit the bill.
Nearly all the songs on this CD are Gaelic in origin, with the exceptions of #4 Hopa! (Bulgarian), #5 Ajde Jano (Serbian) and #8 Changerais-Tu? (Breton). Translations of all songs are provided on the liner notes.I add this CD into the mix when I need something upbeat and a little unusual to spice up an afternoon. If you can, check out a sample of a song or two here, #3 Fionnaghula is one of my favorites and #6 Fear A' Bhata is simply beautiful.

Before listening to this CD I was apprehensive. I enjoyed Ms. MacKenzie's previous works, "Mouth Music" and "Solas", tremendously but didn't know how I'd feel about a album that strayed a bit from the traditional Gaelic essence of those albums by including a Serbian tune and a French (Breton) song.

I must now admit that I am addicted to the song "Changerais-Tu?" It fills me with a bubbly sense of glee that climaxes in a silly giggle each time I hear the goat holler. I listen to this song over and over and over again. I've learned the words by heart and find myself singing it around the house, while I'm walking the dogs, while we're waiting to be seated at restaurants, etc.

My wife has threatened to leave me if I can't kick this thing. Can someone out there help me? Please?

Oh, there are good Gaelic tunes on here too.

Fabulous! A really excellent CD, a must for lovers of superb singing! More, more!

I bought this album some years ago, not realizing it was done in 1996.
Talitha apparently had her ear to the ground, because some of the beats she was using are everywhere now. Blending Scots Gaelic sources with WorldBeat and electronic music, she's created an interesting fusion album that catches the listener's ear and never lets you forget that this is traditional music, only modernized. In ten years, this album has held up very well, sounding as hip and cool as your new cell phone tone. Oh, there are a few tunes that sound as if you're back in the 18th century, such "Griogare", mournful and beautiful, but generally it's as modern as a microchip.

i had the oportunity to listen to this work about 4 years ago, unfortunatelly i couldn'tbuy it then. i would like to share more opinions. i never found it again. thank you.