Customer Reviews

Threads of Time

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I have been listening to traditional Scottish and Irish music for more than 20 years, and Cherish the Ladies is one of the most exciting bands I've heard. "Threads of Time" is my first exposure to the band. The arrangements are exquisite. The band is true to the Gaelic tradition, provactive, and innovative. I especially like their rendition of the Yeats poem (far more than the author's).

I just bought this CD and already it is one of my favorite CTL albums, despite the lack of a single song in Gaelic. This album is a beautiful blend of traditional tunes and original pieces, and while I miss Cathy Ryan, I must say that Aoife Clancy has an amazing and beautiful voice!

These six women are award-winning musicians. Daughters of immigrants or immigrants themselves, their voices and instruments reverberate with their deep love of Irish music and of their own heritage. If you have not yet experienced Cherish the Ladies, this is a great place to start!

After see Cherish the Ladies in concert with our local symphony, we bought this CD and have loved the music ever since. After we got into Riverdance, we were looking for other Irish tunes and found the Ladies.

Their music is soulful and uplifting and alway makes me want to start stepping! Try this CD, you'll love it!

I think I've mentioned elsewhere that, despite a purely Polish/Russian heritage I'm really a secret Irish person. Perhaps my ancestors sailed too close to Ireland on the way to Ellis Island. In any case, I love discovering a new source of Irish/Celtic music - even if everyone else has already heard of them.

Such is the case with Cherish the Ladies an Irish group that was the bright idea of Mick Maloney and has enjoyed the sponsorship of the Ethnic Folk Arts Center and the National Endowment for the Arts. What made them unusual is that they were the first all-women traditional Irish band. But what makes them good isn't their gender, but their superb musicianship. Led by Joanie Madden on flute and whistle, who has many recordings of her own, the current group includes Mary Coogan (guitar), Mary Rafferty (accordion), Donna Long (piano), Siobhan Egan (fiddle), and Aoife Clancy (vocals).

The skills of the group are such that they can shift from slow ballads like 'High Germany' and 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' to the fast an fancy playing of the deft combination of 'Thady Casey's Fancy/The Ladies' Pantalettes/The Monaghan Twig/The Linen.' 'Her Mantle So Green' is a soft instrumental, which Sinead O'Conner sang so often.

It's unfair to pick out any performer her as all have their moments and come together easily, finding ways to mix old and new (like 'Lisa's Dream/The Westside Highway'). This is a nicely produced album that focuses on the music making rather than production effects - something that will bear up under repeated listening.

This is great music! It can make you cry or dance. These are wonderful musicians. My personal favorites are "The Bergen", "The Lake of Innisfree", and "Liza's Dream".