Another outstanding collection from Hearts of Space, featuring uilleann pipers Paddy Keenan, Davy Spillane and Liam O'Flynn, fiddler Alisdair Fraser, flute, Susan Craig, tinwhistles Joannie Madden (with Mary & Frances Black), keyboards Bill Douglas, vocalists, Fiona Joyce and Dolores Keane, choral group, Anua, and super groups Arcady with Niamh Parsons and Capercaillie with Karen Matheson. Great selections of artists and songs.
CELCTIC TWILIGHT is a new collection of contemporary Irish music featuring established artists and a few new talents. Irishman Paddy Keenan performs on the unique uilleann pipes, a cousin of the more well-known Scottish bagpipes. Keenan?s sound has less drone than the sound of bagpipes, and is remarkably fluid with melody. His contribution ?Jutland,? is a standout instrumental on the album. Fiona Joyce offers ?Sweet Surrender,? a perfectly titled song about love and loss, sung in her trademark contralto-voice. Her comparisons to Loreena McKennitt are apt but don?t take into account the sympathetic weariness of her tone, which adds an inimitable layer to her interpretations. Capercaille?s ?Nil Si I Ngra? is sung in Gaelic and features a twangy guitar that bridges North American country music and traditional Irish folk songs. Another uillean piper, Davy Spillane, is also a multi-instrumentalist and his track ?Midnight Walker? features a low whistle (an instrument dating back to pre-Babylonian times) that he made by hand. This successful series of Celtic compilations ranks with the best introductions to contemporary Irish music.
- Track 01. PADDY KEENAN AND TOMMY O'SULLIVAN - JUTLAND
- Track 02. FIONA JOYCE - SWEET SURRENDER
- Track 03. CAPERCAILLIE - NIL SI I NGRA
- Track 04. DAVY SPILLANE - MIDNIGHT WALKER
- Track 05. JOANNIE MADDEN - (with MARY and FRANCES BLACK) BANTRY GIRLS LAMENT
- Track 06. ANUNA - SIUIL A RUIN
- Track 07. BILL DOUGLAS - FOREST HYMN
- Track 08. SUSAN CRAIG - SHADOW
- Track 09. ALASDAIR FRASER - ROSLIN CASTLE/ MISS GORDON OF GIGHT
- Track 10. LIAM O'FLYNN - ROMEO'S EXILE
- Track 11. ARCADY - THE ROCKS OF BAWN
- Track 12. DOLORES KEANE - AILEEN'S LAMENT