The Ballad of Tim Evans - Karan Casey, MacColl, Ewan
Just a Note - Karan Casey, McGinn, Matt
Lord MacDonald's - Karan Casey, Traditional
Quiet of the Night - Karan Casey, Casey, Karan
Bata Is B?thar - Karan Casey, De Paor, Louis
The Four Loom Weaver - Karan Casey, Traditional
The Jute Mill Song - Karan Casey, Brookbank, Mary
The Waterford-born singer Karan Casey has been on a highly personal journey since she left the Irish-American supergroup Solas. Her solo albums, of which this is the third, reveal a questing nature and a deceptively fragil... more »e-sounding, vibrato-enhanced soprano. At times, Casey brings the early Dolly Parton to mind, especially when she's essaying modal ballads that recall the Celtic-derived American Appalachian tradition and its tributaries. Her material ranges from Irish and Scottish folkways to modern story songs, many of which deal with immigration and other forms of displacement. The poignant opening tune, composed by British songwriter-activist Billy Bragg, is a meditation about a frightened, uprooted newcomer dealing with homesickness and hostile natives. The sensuous yet coolly ascetic semi-acoustic arrangements feature prominent banjo, fiddle, low whistle, and accordion vamps, plus an atmospheric solo piano. Guest artists Karen Matheson (lead vocals in Capercaillie ), bluegrass singer-mandolinist Tim O'Brien, and American roots player Dirk Powell all make indelible impressions. --Christina Roden« less
The Waterford-born singer Karan Casey has been on a highly personal journey since she left the Irish-American supergroup Solas. Her solo albums, of which this is the third, reveal a questing nature and a deceptively fragile-sounding, vibrato-enhanced soprano. At times, Casey brings the early Dolly Parton to mind, especially when she's essaying modal ballads that recall the Celtic-derived American Appalachian tradition and its tributaries. Her material ranges from Irish and Scottish folkways to modern story songs, many of which deal with immigration and other forms of displacement. The poignant opening tune, composed by British songwriter-activist Billy Bragg, is a meditation about a frightened, uprooted newcomer dealing with homesickness and hostile natives. The sensuous yet coolly ascetic semi-acoustic arrangements feature prominent banjo, fiddle, low whistle, and accordion vamps, plus an atmospheric solo piano. Guest artists Karen Matheson (lead vocals in Capercaillie ), bluegrass singer-mandolinist Tim O'Brien, and American roots player Dirk Powell all make indelible impressions. --Christina Roden
"Some years ago, upon the recommendation of another, I picked up the Karan Casey album, Songlines. I enjoyed the album immensely, thought her voice beautiful, lyrical. I've long been a fan of British and Irish folk music and Casey's voice is particularly distinctive. Not to sound trite, her music has an innocent, angelic quality.
On a recent trip to a store specializing in Irish music, I looked up "Karan Casey" in their extensive stacks and came upon this CD. I've now been listening to the album for a couple of weeks and I think it even better, more mature, more emotionally evocative than her earlier work.
Among the most haunting tracks is "Song of Lies," which I play again and again, savoring the poetry of its lyrics, the simplicity and beauty of her interpretation.
If you were to buy one and only one CD this year, you'd not go wrong making this one your choice!"
"So full of hope but prone to grief."
Mary Whipple | New England | 07/28/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Karan Casey, with classical training in Irish music and a huge vocal range, sings Irish traditional songs and contemporary ballads with simple accompaniments, often using traditional Irish instruments--the bodhran, the fiddle, the low whistle, and the concertina--and sometimes including instruments from other countries, the bouzouki from Greece and the berimbao from Brazil. With a light, "innocent," and almost whispery soprano, she imbues her often mournful songs with an honest passion that is rare in contemporary folk singing. In the title song, her choice of accompaniments--the low whistle, the electric bass, and drums--creates such an insistent beat and ominous background that when she plaintively sings of being "washed up on a distant shore," the reader's sympathies are fully engaged.
All of the songs here are laments, tragic narratives, or songs of hard work and the hope of survival, and all are in minor keys. Though some songs are in faster tempos and may have syncopations, these are not "uptempo" in mood. Casey stresses the displacement of the Irish, the poverty, and the need to "stay strong." In various songs she emphasizes a life "full of hope but prone to grief," states that "them that works hardest are the least provided," and says, "We won't worry about the government, worry about the way to go." "The Ballad of Tim Evans" tells about a man executed for murdering his wife and child, though he was innocent. "The Four Loom Weaver" tells of having "nowt to eat...I feel in my heart I'll soon starve." And both "Distant Shore" and "Bata is Bothar" deal with the unhappiness of immigration.
Casey's voice is at its most versatile in "Lord MacDonald's," sung in Gaelic, as in rapid tempo her voice lightly dances up and down her range in a song with few pauses, the Gaelic refrain combining with drums for dramatic power. In the unusual love song "Quiet of the Night," a mournful tune with a double bass, she becomes a person who decides to stay strong, a woman who "love[s] you in my heart because you let me be," a particularly affecting concertina solo adding to the drama. This magnificent voice singing heartbreaking songs reflects the Irish melancholia one so often sees in the country's poets. Here Karan Casey becomes a poet in song. Mary Whipple
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Karan does it again
MR J TIMMERMAN | Lawson, NSW Australia | 08/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is surely as good as folk music gets anywhere. Karan Casey's third solo album since leaving Solas is another of exquisite beauty and fine taste - for those familiar with her fine previous albums, expect the same pleasures here. Songs are from traditional and modern sources, including one written by Karan herself. Scottish band Capercaillie members Donald Shaw, Mike McGoldrick and Ewan Vernal are among the many talented session musicians. The backing is sweet and complementary, precisely matching the rise and fall of Karan's tender poetic voice with keyboards, guitars, fiddle, whistle, concertina, mandolin, banjo, vocals and various types of percussion. There's a variety of lyrical themes throughout the album. Billy Bragg's "Distant Shore" tells of crossing the sea to escape everything except memories, and there are love songs like "The Song of Lies", "The Curra Road" and "Quiet of the Night", as well as ballads like Ewan MacColl's "Ballad of Tim Evans', "The Four-Loom Weaver" and "The Jute Mill Song". Two are sung in Gaelic. Karan has a way of getting deep into the soul of the music which will in turn reach deep into the heart of every listener. Thoroughly captivating. Full marks again."
Fantastic for what it is
B. Sites | USA | 04/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is really excellent in its genre. Generally, I listen to more mainstream things, though I really enjoy most talented female singers. Karan Casey did not disappoint. I heard her live at an Irish Festival and her haunting vocals, often teamed with gorgeous accompaniments, keep me a big fan. The other reviews have covered her style quite well, so I won't even try to.
If you have an appreciation for talented female singers and enjoy moving, traditional pieces, this CD is absolutely for you. And that's coming from someone who is about to go write reviews for Outkast, Linkin Park and TuPac."