Search - Various Artists :: Voice of Celtic Music

Great value, great introduction, great music!

Brianna Neal | USA | 05/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At my first sight of the bland packaging on this 3-CD, displayed in the "Miscellanous Celtic" section of a store, I thought `Oh, boy, there's a real winner...'. Generic titles, misty photographs of unidentified Irish scenery and discount multiple-disc sets tend to yield undistinguished and boring music, or at least they have in my buying experience. (In the worst case scenarios, the instrumentals are all done by a synthesizer stuck permanently in "tinkling-bell mode" and the poor performer, probably to preserve his or her reputation, isn't even named.) Dubiously, I peered at the spines of the 3 CD cases contained in the box, and shook my head. "Celtic Love Songs". (Sigh.) "A Collection of Irish Ballads". (Yawn.) "The Voice of Celtic Women". (Not sounding very original here ... ) However, upon taking a look at the back of the box, I noticed the very impressive roster of performers (Altan, Capercaillie, Relativity, Silly Wizard, Cherish the Ladies and Andy M. Stewart, just to name a few) and the equally impressive label (Green Linnet), changed my presumptuous mind immediately, and bought it on the spot! I'm quite glad that I did, as this set proved to be my introduction to two new favorites: the groups Deanta, and Niamh Parsons and the Loose Connections. And, as would be expected from Green Linnet, the music is of excellent quality! Overall, the tone of the three CDs is mellow and heartfelt, and mostly oriented towards the female viewpoint. Quite a number of the songs are old favorites of mine from their respective groups' original albums. Particularly notable in the "achingly beautiful" category are Niamh Parsons' "Clohinne Winds", Relativity's "When She Sleeps", and "Lover's Heart" by Silly Wizard, and other especially enjoyable picks include Deanta's "Willie Taylor" and "The Maid That Sold Her Barley". For 3 CDs at the price of just one, "The Voice of Celtic Music" is an excellent value, and a good introduction to the mellower side of many fine Celtic groups. It's also a good lesson about not judging a book, or a CD set, by its cover!"