Thanks to its distinct, downright catchy single "Orinoco Flow," which amusingly referenced both her record-company boss Rob Dickins and co-producer Ross Cullum in the lyrics, Enya's second album Watermark established her as the unexpected queen of gentle, Celtic-tinged new age music. To be sure, her success was as much due to marketing a niche ...
Celtic Woman, a Riverdance-inspired PBS phenomena that boasts the talents of several female leads and a whole lot of orchestra and genre instruments like pipes, bodhrans, and fiddles, gives contemporary Celtic the Il Divo treatment on New Journey, a lovely and occasionally over the top collection of familiar melodies and grandiose sentiments that ...
Calling Shepherd Moons a near carbon copy of Watermark puts it quite mildly. Like Watermark, Shepherd Moons opens with the title track, a calm instrumental, has another brief instrumental titled after a Dora Saint book smack in the middle ("No Holly for Miss Quinn"), and concludes with a number incorporating a striking uilleann pipes solo, ...
No surprises here, of course -- Enya didn't achieve new age superstardom by challenging anyone's expectations. This album is every bit as hushed, lovely, and soulless as everything else she's ever done; like a perfect angel food cake, it's sweet, soft, and utterly lacking in nutritive substance. There's nothing the matter with angel food cake, of ...
Manhattan Records' release of Celtic Woman is a compilation/collaboration between five unknown vocalists, introduced only by their first names (Chloë, Lisa, Órla, Méav, and Máiréad), who take turns chirping Irish ballads as heard through a dramatic, lush new age filter. Via reverb-heavy and thick keyboard atmospherics, the singers cover ...
Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya is an excellent 16-song overview of Enya's career, containing 14 selections from The Celts, Watermark, Shepherd Moon, and The Memory of Trees -- including "Caribbean Blue," "Anywhere Is," "Marble Halls," "Book of Days," and, of course, "Orinoco Flow" -- as well as two previously unreleased songs ("Only If ...
The appropriately named Corrs are an Irish pop group consisting of Andrea Corr on lead vocals and tin whistle; Caroline Corr on drums, bodhran, and vocals; Jim Corr on keyboards, guitar, and vocals; and Sharon Corr on violin and vocals. The traditional Irish instruments like the bodhran and tin whistle add a twist to the pop melodies of tracks ...
RCA Victor's 2002 The Very Best of James Galway is a comprehensive overview of James Galway's prolific career, touching not only on his easy listening pop crossover tunes, but his classical pieces. In fact, it does something very clever: it devotes a disc, a full half of the collection, to his classical works, with the second disc to his smooth, ...
Celtic Woman, a Riverdance-inspired PBS phenomena that boasts the talents of several female leads and a whole lot of orchestra and genre instruments like pipes, bodhrans, and fiddles, gives contemporary Celtic the Il Divo treatment on New Journey, a lovely and occasionally over the top collection of familiar melodies and grandiose sentiments that ...
With over ten different greatest-hits collections to choose from, Irish legends Clannad seem poised to surpass their number of full-length releases. RCA's Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime is a fairly standard overview that touches on fan favorites, collaborations, and songs from films, once again omitting any material from their first four -- ...
The success of the new age compilation Pure Moods in early 1997 led to the release of Celtic Moods later in the year. Like its predecessor, Celtic Moods is essentially a new age collection -- here, Celtic is code for mystic. A few songs, such as the Waterboys' "Strange Boat," adhere to the earthy spirit of Irish folk, but much of the music -- ...
Fans of modern Celtic music will rejoice in the presence of The Celtic Circle, Vol. 2 -- it truly is a great compilation, recycling fine material from principals of Irish folk music like Phil Coulter, Clannad, Máire Brennan, and (surfacing alone and in collaborative mode) the Chieftains. The 30-song, two-disc set launches with "The Foggy Dew," a ...
With production and lyrical help fully in place thanks to her husband-and-wife gurus Nicky and Roma Ryan, Enya's combination of Celtic traditionalism and distinctly modern approach finds lush flower on her self-titled debut. All the elements that characterize her music -- open, clear nods to her Irish heritage, any number of vocal overdubs to ...
Although there are a couple of tracks missing, Greatest Hits has the majority of James Galway's best-loved numbers and offers a good introduction to the popular flautist. ~ Sara Sytsma, All Music Guide
The Enchanted Forest is the latest release by the world-famous classical flautist James Galway, collaborating for the first time with Japanese synthesist Hiro Fujikake. Five of the tunes are traditional Japanese pieces (including the lovely "Sakura [Cherry Blossom]"), while the other ten are original compositions by Fujikake, a skilled musician ...
It seems odd that RCA would release two different single-disc best-of compilations covering Clannad's 1982-1989 recordings, and odder still that there would be so little overlap between Rogha: The Best of Clannad and Greatest Hits (only about seven tracks out of 18-19). Perhaps it's that the newer Greatest Hits volume concentrates on their more ...
Even though the visual elements are missing, this soundtrack to Riverdance sounds quite spectacular, making a no-holds-barred attempt to captivate the listener with grandiose variations on Celtic musical forms. Adding to the grandeur and magic of the music are performances by artists such as Davy Spillane, Maire Breatnach, Anúna, Nicola Parov, and ...
It has been said that James Galway's appeal crosses all musical boundaries. In this album, the Belfast-born Galway successfully crosses into Japanese music. But while Galway's talent with his flute is evident, like some others of Galway's non-classical albums, this music lacks technical challenges that might make one sit up and listen. These ...
Even though the visual elements are missing, this soundtrack to Riverdance sounds quite spectacular, making a no-holds-barred attempt to captivate the listener with grandiose variations on Celtic musical forms. Adding to the grandeur and magic of the music are performances by artists such as Davy Spillane, Maire Breatnach, Anúna, Nicola Parov, and ...
James Galway's collection of Irish songs is a pleasant album, but it will appeal more to fans of his smooth style than celtic afficianados. ~ Sara Sytsma, All Music Guide
You knew the Corrs had made it when they played the final JFK Awards ceremony of the Clinton administration. Playing it would have been achievement enough, but their status as a happening thing was cemented at the end of the ceremony, during the encores, when everybody was taking their final bows. Bill moseyed up over to Andrea, put his arm around ...
Clannad continues in the trend of the last few albums with their latest release, Banba. Though certainly a pop effort, the Celtic influences are still present, this time in a more subdued, low-key production. ~ David Jehnzen, All Music Guide
The Irish Tenors' 1999 self-titled live album captured the lilting harmonies of John McDermott, Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynan on a collection of nostalgic Irish standards. This Royal Dublin Society Main Hall recording includes solo songs by each of the Tenors along with trio performances, all of which feature orchestral backing. "Minstrel Boy," ...
In 2006 Enya released her most subtle and song-oriented album to date. Amarantine may have paled in comparison to Watermark or Shepherd Moons, but its under-produced (in Enya-world) balladry was a small leap forward for the reclusive Irish superstar. 2008's And Winter Came follows in the same footsteps as Amarantine, but it hints at the grandeur ...
Flutist James Galway's latest commerical crossover release features a variety of contemporary hits, including the Grammy Award-winning "From a Distance," "Send in the Clowns," "Angel of Music" (from Phantom of the Opera), "The Wind Beneath My Wings," and many more. ~ MusD, All Music Guide
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