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74 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Voices of the angels, February 18, 2007
Celtic Woman is back in a refreshing new album, rivaling, if not surpassing, their previous work. Once again, recurring themes of nature, destiny, history, heritage and love are infused with Celtic melodies to make this music timeless and classic. And don't discount the fantastic arrangement by David Downes. His genius is clearly exhibited in the orchestral and choral background for the songs, as well as song selection.
Describing this music is a hopeless task; if the words were sufficient, we wouldn't need the music. But I'll try.
1. The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun:
Begins with the lush, evocative strains of mystery and exotic nostalgia as only Celtic styles can weave. The music is enriched as the five vocals (Chloë, Órla, Lisa, Méav and newcomer Hayley) join their voices into a spectacular blossoming melody of morning and dawn, of newness and awakening.
In a musical interlude, the wondrous violinist Máiréad takes charge with her rapturous performance. To listen to her is not enough. To fully understand her talent (indeed, the talent of the entire group) you have to buy the DVD or catch a viewing on PBS. Máiréad is a fleet-footed fairy similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's character Tinuviel. She dances and darts about the stage, bounding from one end to the other, flinging her flaxen hair to and fro, kicking up her heels. All the while she is playing, her hands moving almost faster than the human eye can follow, sawing the bow across the strings, eliciting fast-paced melodies beyond the scope of human imagination. There is almost a devilish glint of innocent mischief in her eyes and smile as she dances.
In short, the first song is the perfect opening track to reintroduce us to the Celtic Woman reverie.
2. The Prayer
A song that fits its name; a simple prayer for guidance and aid. Chloë's voice has clearly matured since the previous album.
3. Newgrange
As with "Harry's Game" from the previous album, the mystical, foreboding songs are entrusted to Órla's voice, the deepest of the group. In this case, the song is of a secret place filled with the memory of heroic kings and druids.
4. Over The Rainbow
The classic song is given a unique "a cappella" interpretation by all of the vocals sans Lisa. I've never been particularly fond of the piece, but the group does an excellent, almost lullaby-like rendition of the song, worth repeating.
5. Granuaile's Dance
A solo performance by Máiréad that is half traditional Irish music, half lively dancing music.
6. The Blessing
Solo by Lisa, a soft, simple song of love and devotion, blessings imparted to one's significant other.
7. Dúlaman
A song dominated by percussion and something we haven't heard much of before, male-dominant background vocals and even a brief male solo. Otherwise, the song is a solo by Méav in Gaelic. The translation has something to do with Irish seaweed and courtship. Don't expect to make much sense of it; just sit back and enjoy.
8. Beyond The Sea
A far more ethereal rendition of the song frequently appearing in movies such as Finding Nemo or Apollo 13. Possibly the best version I've yet heard, speaking to future love and rest from one's weary travels.
9. The Last Rose of Summer
Hayley's first solo, this is Thomas Moore's poem set to music. The arrangement is more operatic and classical than Celtic.
10. Caledonia
One of the top three on the CD. It is another solo from Lisa, and there is just something about this song you just can't put your finger on. It is filled with warmth, love and romance, and the higher calling of "Caledonia" (the romanticized name for Scotland).
11. Laschia Ch'io Pianga
Another operatic solo from Hayley, the song is somewhat repetitive and the melody is monotonous. (Blame Handel.) Probably one of the more uninteresting tracks. It does not even correspond to the sadness that the translated lyrics suggest. It's still good, just not phenomenal.
12. Carrickfergus
A quiet ballad from Órla (accompanying herself on the harp), a nostalgic song of bygone days in the Irish town of Carrickfergus.
13. Vivaldi's Rain
Another very classical piece sung by Chloë. The song is translated as a prayer to the Lord for guidance, but this time because the singer has fallen in love.
14. The Voice
One of the most hauntingly beautiful, fast-paced tracks of the CD, "The Voice" speaks to the past of Ireland. Transcending time, "the voice" is of nature, of history, of both past, present and future, with all the sadness and glories of both. Hence, the song is both promising and melancholy. With the mournful violin and the harsh percussion mixed with Lisa's crystal clear voice, there's no denying this is one of the top songs of the album.
15. Scarborough Fair
A decidedly unhappy song, it is the third solo exceptionally performed by Hayley. She has clearly earned her place in the group. The song is abbreviated from the original, which is a woebegone tale of sundered lovers.
16. Mo Ghile Mear
"Now the time has come to leave / Keep the flame and still believe / Know that love will shine through darkness / One bright star to light the wave."
An excellent closing song performed by the entire group, consisting of both English and Gaelic lyrics, a song of happy farewell much resembling "The Soft Goodbye" from the previous album.
In closing, let me just say, there's a reason this group has spent more than a year on the top of the world record charts. Their music transcends individual styles. The arrangements are appealing. In the performers, talent is manifested in celestial voices and radiant countenance. You're out of excuses. Buy the album. Or the deluxe. Still further, buy the DVD.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful, March 16, 2007
So there I was browsing books at my favorite Barnes and Noble book store. While looking at all the new arrivals I heard the most beautiful music begin to play. At first I hummed along and continued to browse the books. My mood was uplifted almost immediately. When Caledonia began to play I made my way back to the music department to see what was playing. It was this CD. I purchased a copy of the CD right then and there. Now I've had the CD home for a little over two weeks and I've listened to it already countless times. It has the power to make the commute to work happier, housework less tiresome, writing more productive.
This excellent CD is populated with excellent orchestral music accompanied by the most crystal clear angelic voices you'll ever hear. Two favorites are The Prayer and Calendonia. There isn't a single dud on this CD.
I highly recommend this CD and have already purchased others by this group of talented artists. This is one of the best CD purchases I have ever made. I am quite sure that if you like well done celtic music or just love music period, that this would be a great purchase you'll never regret.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Journey Indeed, January 30, 2007
For those who are unfamiliar with Celtic Woman, it was a group that reached the spotlight with the help of PBS, which aired it several years ago as part of its artists exposure programs and was quickly overwhelmed by viewer feedback that created a world tour and generated enough buzz to bring them farther along. At the moment, their eponymous debut and a Christmas album share the top two spots on the Billboard World Music charts. Their debut also hit platinum last month.
With the launch of new CDs after a long span of extraordinary success, listeners are always slightly nervous about what will be released. The first tastes of A New Journey were in PBS's airing of the August concerts in Slane Castle last December, and for those who saw it and loved it as I did, the CD is not much else than most of the Slane program studio-recorded and mixed/edited/etc. As someone who watched the PBS showing probably too much, there wasn't anything surprising or new on the CD (the only songs that were not in the PBS special are The Blessing and Vivaldi's Rain, the latter of which was released on one of the CW solo albums).
That doesn't mean anything to those who missed Slane or just want to have the songs on CD. The music is a blend of genres, a sound quite unique to Celtic Woman. There are relatively few numbers that actually befit their name, such as Dulaman and Newgrange. The CW sound is more of a new-age-meets-classical-with-modern-Celtic-splash. A fair number of the tracks are original compositions by David Downes (and several others such as Brendan Graham and the fiddler Mairead Nesbitt to name a few). What makes CW so successful in the US is the use of songs that the American audience is familiar with, such as Beyond the Sea, Scarborough Fair, and Over the Rainbow and adding Celtic touches, like fiddling breaks and Uillean Pipes. And I like the sound. This album throws a lot more rearranged contemporary at you and even tries a few new things.
The group introduces a more classical element to the mix than in the first album with the addition of world-famous New Zealander Hayley Westenra. While Meav, Orla, and Lisa tend towards more Celtic-themed music, the younger members Chloe and Hayley tend towards classical numbers (Lascia Ch'io Pianga and Vivaldi's Rain). While this is not necessarily a bad thing, because Hayley has been one of my favorite singers since the release of "Pure," it does move the group even farther away from the Celtic roots it tries to hold onto. I'm neutral about that, since some of the numbers are great additions, but just a word of warning.
The album opens with a strong number, The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun, a Downes composition with lyrics told from the interesting perspective of the celestial bodies above. It moves quickly into the Prayer, a Chloe solo that many will know from Celine Dion's duet rendition. The song shows quite well how her voice has matured since Walking in the Air several years ago. She is still only 17 or 18 and has a ways to go, but I like her more than I did in the original. Newgrange is more mysterious, throwing a Celtic curveball that challenges the listener to think about the ancient history of the Celtic lands. Over the Rainbow is going to be a number that you either love or hate. It's a 4-part acapella arrangement that is quite beautiful, but some might just be sick of the song.
Granuaile's Dance introduces one of the purely instrumental pieces, an original composition by Downes and the performer Mairead. Those with the DVD are in for a treat, as her playstyle is unique and a joy to watch. The Blessing is a more religious number with Celtic touches, a Lisa solo not that serves a similar role as Send Me a Song did in the debut. Dulaman is the most Celtic, a barrage of Irish Gaelic sung by the superb Meav (my favorite of the 5). Look up the lyrics if you can and the cultural context of Dulaman ("seaweed") and you're in for something interesting. Beyond the Sea is one of my favorites and a perfect example of contemporary meets Celtic. Downes' arrangement is wonderful and something different from Sinatra. The beautiful Irish air the Last Rose of Summer gets wonderful treatment in a duet between Hayley and Meav and Caledonia is a very beautiful Scottish ballad. Carrickfergus (in which Orla plays the harp live in the show) is a great number and follows a man from life to death in a sad and beautiful song.
Lascia Ch'io Pianga and Vivaldi's Rain are the more classical numbers as I mentioned. I don't particularly like either song, mostly because of their positioning between strong Celtic numbers that break the mood a bit. Vivaldi's Rain is set to the 2nd movement of Vivaldi's Winter, a popular musical theme that many artists have put lyrics to (including Hayley in "River of Dreams"). The Voice, the Eurovision Song Contest Winner of 1996 is a song almost perfect for Lisa's voice (better than for Eimear Quinn, though she is very good). Scarborough Fair gives a Celtic touch to Simon and Garfunkel and Hayley delivers it beautifully in her highlight on the album. Mo Ghile Mear is a high-energy ending to the album (though on tour, I believe it still ends with You Raise Me Up), a great original composition with strong instrumental and vocal parts that are separate, then integrated.
Those with the deluxe edition receive four more songs. The first, Sing Out, is probably my least favorite song that CW has ever recorded. It just... doesn't work. It's a good news Christian song that you might hear in a modernized church assembly or from a Christian band, but it's not something I like to hear in a Celtic CD, even though it is an original composition with a quirky Celtic touch to it. Shenandoah/Pacific Slope is something I wish was part of the non-deluxe edition. It is another fiddler-only piece and I don't think that Mairead is given justice when every other artist receives two solos on the normal soundtrack while she only receives one. It is a nice piece that mixes traditional with original and the fact that it was recorded live makes it special for me like the Ashoken Farewell/Contradiction did on the original. At the Ceili is an original number that is very entertaining and is one of the highlights (in my opinion, it makes the deluxe album worth buying) of both the album and the show (choreographed and such). It tells of women attending the Ceili, a traditional Irish communal gathering-dance where many relations strike it up, as the women are hoping to do. Spanish Lady is a short but sweet number that uses the chamber choir well.
In all, I feel that this album is a bit of a different direction for CW, but it's to be expected unless the listener is illiterate and cannot read the title of the album. It is something that both fans and new listeners should not miss, as the new direction is very accessible for the US. The new age sound is relaxing and the music is great for winding down at night. The group numbers, the CW highlights, are, for the most part, done well and are an enjoyable blend of five unique voices. Listeners should expect much more from CW in the future, since the possibilities for new pieces are limitless and the successes just continue to build.
Expect much from this album and more in the future.
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