Search - Connie Dover :: Border of Heaven

Donna M. from DESTIN, FL
Reviewed on 10/2/2011...

Lovely CD with quaint Celtic lyrics and music. Enjoyable CD!

Going to the West

Jerome Clark | Canby, Minnesota | 10/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Connie Dover has too much talent and taste to do a mediocre recording, but even by the high standards of her previous efforts, The Border of Heaven is an impressive achievement. This thematic CD traces the movement of the Anglo-Celtic immigrants from England, Scotland, and Ireland to the American West. Part of the legacy of that great historical odyssey was a body of extraordinary songs adapted from Old Country originals. Nowhere is the link so explicitly underscored as in Dover and cowboy singer Skip Gorman's brilliant medley linking "The Streets of the Laredo" to the ballad in its original form, "The Sailor Cut Down in His Prime." In a recording of such excellence and artistic consistency, it's hard to single out one song or performance as better than any other. She does a particularly masterly reading, however, of "Lord Franklin," concerning Sir John Franklin and his doomed 19th-Century search for the Northwest Passage. Till now, the definitive reading of this lovely, sad ballad has been John Renbourn's, but Dover may have surpassed it. Her rewriting of the Alabama folk song "I Am Going to the West" is another standout. (The finest purely traditional version can be heard on Mike Seeger's Third Annual Farewell Reunion, on Rounder.) She also reminds us that "Sweet Betsy from Pike" is a much more interesting song than we knew when we were singing it in grade school. Perhaps the only not wholly inspired choice here is over-recorded "The Water Is Wide." Even so, with The Border of Heaven, Connie Dover steps into the front ranks of American folk singers."

Loved it!

Lori J. | Minneapolis, MN | 04/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have all of Connie Dover's CDs (some in multiple fomats so I can listen to tapes in the car, CDs at home, etc.) They've gotten me through many a road trip.Border of Heaven is a wonderful addition to the collection. The music traces the connections between traditional Celtic music and early American folk music. The songs range a bit further afield than her usual, primarily Celtic, offerings, but her voice is as crystalline as always and the music shows wonderful range and creative flair.I would recommend this CD to anybody interested in beautiful folk music. If you're a Celtic purist you might want to start with her earlier releases, but you really shouldn't miss out on this one.Connie, if you're reading this, when are you coming to Minnesota?"