Considering how visible a figure Fiona Hunter has been in the contemporary Scottish folk music scene, it feels strange there has been a decade between her solo albums. Her 2014 debut was a gourmet table Scots songs and singing. It was a very solid work with some truly remarkable performances, like the heartwrenching, brilliantly dramatic … Continue reading Fiona Hunter’s two solo albums: separated by a decade, connected by everything else
Category: Reviews
Notify: Airneán (2024)
One of my favorite contemporary Irish musicians is the composer and concertina master Pádraig Rynne. His command of the instrument and his strength in both traditional and modern styles is remarkable. Airneán is the brand new album by his long standing band project Notify, and it continues his endeavors in folk and jazz fusion, or … Continue reading Notify: Airneán (2024)
Looking back on Seamus Egan’s “When Juniper Sleeps” (1996) and “Early Bright” (2019)
I just listened to two albums by Seamus Egan back to back: When Juniper Sleeps and Early Bright. The former is from 1996 and the latter was released in 2019. The difference between the two works is remarkable. Incidentally or not, the time that separates the two albums is almost exactly the timeframe of the … Continue reading Looking back on Seamus Egan’s “When Juniper Sleeps” (1996) and “Early Bright” (2019)
Rob Harbron & Emma Reid: Flock & Fly (2016)
Oh summer! How I long for it now, in March, when the Finnish winter refuses to exit... That's what I thought when listening to Flock & Fly, this music played by concertina and fiddle, with British and Swedish tunes mostly trad (I think), no extra frills and unnecessary fuss. The music paints in my mind … Continue reading Rob Harbron & Emma Reid: Flock & Fly (2016)
Ryan Molloy: Tempered (2021)
I think that anyone who is not enamored with Celtic music would run screaming already at the site of this album's cover. The magnificent close-up of Uillean pipes, and the text "traditional music on Uillean pipes and piano". That would be a great shame and their loss, though, because Irish composer and pianist Ryan Molloy's … Continue reading Ryan Molloy: Tempered (2021)
Ryan Young: Just a Second (2023)
I have witnessed Ryan Young playing live only once, in Celtic Connections 2023. It was an astonishing performance, a rare combination of technical skill, fiery spirit and presence, and total commitment to the music. I compared it to Jeff Beck's guitar playing and found out that some others felt exactly the same.So it came a … Continue reading Ryan Young: Just a Second (2023)
Looking back on The Copperplate Sessions (2018) by Manus McGuire
One of the many things I love about Celtic, or any folk music really, is how fairly simple elements join together to create this empowering, effortlessly rocking music. I use the word 'rocking' not only to describe the feel and the motion but because this is where folk and rock meet: you don't need very … Continue reading Looking back on The Copperplate Sessions (2018) by Manus McGuire
Looking back on Greenwoods – Upon a Celtic Path (1998) by Paul Machlis
Paul Machlis is an American composer and pianist who collaborated with Alasdair Fraser in the 1980's and 1990's. Theit duo album, Skyedance (1986), is one of my favorites, an excellent work for fiddle and piano. Greenwoods is his second solo album, if I'm not mistaken. It's an absolutely lovely work, instrumental music with recognizably Celtic … Continue reading Looking back on Greenwoods – Upon a Celtic Path (1998) by Paul Machlis
Amazing music with and without words: Siobhan Miller; Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhríain
For yet another inexplicable reason, I completely missed Siobhan Miller's 2022 album Bloom - until now. Her previous outing, 2020's All Is Not Forgotten, had been a low-key, intimate acoustic work, and Bloom, with its bright sky blue cover and a return to the sound feel almost like a counterargument to its predecessor. I absolutely … Continue reading Amazing music with and without words: Siobhan Miller; Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhríain
Edey & Ainslie’s “Diad” is a joyful dialogue
Ross Ainslie, as you probably know already, is an astonishing musician and composer (and the nicest of people, too), and you may also know the merry hyperactivity and virtuoso guitar and melodeon playing of Tim Edey. They have played together quite a bit lately and I'm happy that some of their simply amazing live stuff … Continue reading Edey & Ainslie’s “Diad” is a joyful dialogue
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