 |
||||||
           |
||||||
 |
Reviews for Dual
Julie Fowlis and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh have a remarkable amount in common. They are both singers and multi-instrumentalists, and both grew up in Gaelic-speaking island communities. Fowlis's husband, bouzouki and fiddle player Éamon Doorley also happens to be a member of Muireann's band Danú. Fowlis, however, is Scottish, while Nic Amhlaoibh is Irish, and this delicate, finely performed set explores the musical links and traditions of the two Gaelic communities. All the songs are in Gaelic, and include An Eala Bhan, an exquisite love song from North Uist, and the equally stirring Pe in Eirinn I, from Kerry, which allow first Fowlis and then Nic Amhlaoibh to show off their cool and gently powerful ballad singing. Elsewhere, they swap verses and duet on jigs, polkas and extended narrative pieces that date back to the 12th century, with the acoustic backing provided by fiddle, guitar and a dash of keyboards, and some impressive pipe-playing from Fowlis. Translations and history lessons are provided in the sleeve notes of one of the most intriguing folk albums of the year. Robin Deneslow - The Guardian Although liable to be regarded as the new Julie Fowlis album, both the equal billing for all four artists on the cover and the title – a Gaelic word meaning "twine, braid, interlace or coil" – stress the collaborative nature of this project. Fowlis and Irish singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh share vocal duties, interweaving songs, lays and mouth music from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic traditions in thoughtful and mutually instructive fashion. Both women are strong, expressive singers, and their voices work very well as contrasting leads and in harmony. They are also prominent as instrumentalists, while Éamon Doorley (bouzouki and fiddle) and Ross Martin (guitar) chip in on backing vocals, and also reflect that Irish-Scottish collaboration. Their well-chosen songs and tunes are nicely varied (Fowlis's native Uist is well-represented in the Scottish material), and often reflect very direct musical connections back and forth between the two countries. The Scotsman Julie Fowlis and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh are two Gaelic singers of the same age and both were brought up on islands off the west coast, both in Gaelic speaking homes; Julie a native of Uist, Scotland and Muireann from West Kerry, Ireland. Both are talented instrumentalists as well as singers; Julie plays the bagpipes, whistles and melodeon, Muireann the flute, whitsles and keyboards. A marriage of two like minded souls, this album 'Dual', meaning to 'interlace, twine or braid' or 'one's inheritance', truly showcases the girls prodigious talents. Muireann and Julie met for the first time in Tonder, Denmark, where there was a festival going on in 2004. They performed music entirely in irish and Scottish Gaelic and found they had a perfect recipe for success in song and instrumental from the two cultures, or rather two branches of the same culture. This album looks at the strong modern and ancient links between Scottish and irish Gaelic and the music and song, while celebrating the differences that have developed over the years. It is a truly uplifting album, exciting, beautiful and full of rhythm, melody and harmony, reflecting the grils' personalities. The beautiful singers are joined by Ross Martin on the guitar and Eamon Doorley on bouzouki and fiddle, with both men doing a spot of backing vocals as well. Ross is Scotland's best known and favourite accompanist, playing in 'Daimh', 'Harem Scarem' and 'Cliar', and regularly accompanying pipers such as Fred Morrison. Eamon Doorley, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has performed professionally all his adult life, plays with the Irish band 'Danu', and also produced 'Album of the Year 2007', 'Cuilidh', with his wife Julie Fowlis. In Dual, both males manage to add a fantastic, unobtrusive backing that compliments rather than detrects from the main event of the girls' singing and instrumentals. The opening track is a delightful melodic medley of songs - ' Da bhfaigheann mo rogha de thriur acu / Dhannsamaid le Alean / Cairsion' Nigh'n' Eoghainn' - the first being a common Kerry song learnt by Muireann in the West Kerry Choir, followed by Julie singing mouth music, then a Uist jig and a reel. Lively, light, melodic, their voices intertwine and weave their magic spell immediately, perfectly complimenting each other. The flutey track number ten, 'Cailini Deasa Mhuigheo / Eadar Alba is Eirinn / Mrs. Ramsay of Barton / Tie the Bonnet Tight', is one of my favourite instrumental tracks. The whistle and flute are exemplary, accurate and buoyant. Immediately next is a track on which Muireann sings the most beautiful love song I have ever heard. Her voice is gorgeous, deep and plaintive, the song is 'Pe in Eireann Í', composed by the noted Kerry poet Eoghain Ruadh O Suilleabhain (1748-1784). The girls have jam packed the CD cover with really useful information about all the tracks and songs, with lyrics and a bit of history. This is something I love, and track 12, ' A Riogain Uasail', composed by the great poet Sean Clarach Mac Domhnaill (1681-1751/3), is a perfect example of why 'Dual' could also be used to illustrate bardachd in contemporary Gaelic colleges across Scotland and Ireland- instead of pouring over dry words in a book, why not listen to them the way they were intended to be? Music is a great way of learning, and parents beware, it is now a proven fact that music playing in the background aids study and memory; which is why bardachd was set to music. Throughout 'Dual' the music is delightful, rich and rewarding and Julie's bright, keen voice offset beautifully by Muireann's slightly deeper, throatier tones. I wondered how I would find the CD as singing alone can become a drag for me, song after song; but these two manage to combine their voices and instruments to create a captivating, contemporary mix of culturesthat truly left me spellbound. More! More! Amanda Darling - Stornaway Gazette
Reviews for
Daybreak "Muireann
Nic Amhlaoibh, as I’m sure all those of you who are paying proper
attention already know, is Danú’s singer flautist and whistle player.
She is accompanied on this recording by a great line-up including Oisín
McAuley, John Doyle, Gerry O’Beirne, Shane McGowan, Éamonn Doorley,
Tony Byrne, Julie Fowlis and Billy Mag Fhloinn. The music is lilting
and lyrical and very solidly arranged. Her voice is breathy and clear
and totally natural. She has the ability to sing with a degree of vocal
ornamentation that others have attempted and fallen foul of. She,
however, skates over the musical accompaniment with elaborate grace and
purpose. Her star is gong to be shining very brightly once this
collection gets into enough hands and into the ears of the folk music
audience. Go get it." Tim Readman, Penguin Eggs,
July 2006.
"Chances are you can't pronounce it but you'll
be wanting to write it down. But fans of authentic Irish music will
know Muireann as singer extraordinaire and skilled instrumentalist
(flute and whistle) with Waterford's Danú. Anyone who's experienced
this woman's significant stage aura will not be surprised at the
emotional power of this release – she has a rich, earthy voice that can
only be described as being "beautiful". Clear, fresh and utterly
spellbinding, Nic Amhlaoibh's vocals soar like a bird – never faltering
– with minimal accompaniment required. Not unlike expatriate
genre-bender, Maura O'Connell, Nic Amhlaoibh has selected a dozen tunes
that, like O'Connell, redefine contemporary folk with one foot in
tradition. This is epitomized by "Western Highway", Nic Amhlaoibh
joined here by its author, Gerry O'Beirne, who also contributes the
"Isle of Malachy", transformed into an achingly beautiful Irish jewel
of a song. The sprightly "Free and Easy" is ample demonstration of her
ability to turn a song to her complete advantage while her whistle work
on the instrumental "Cnocán an Teampaill" presents an equally magical
voice. "Seoithin Seothó" – sung in her native Gaelic – is a
compassionate lullaby fully exposing the allure of her Irish
background. Not surprisingly, one of the disc's strongest tracks is her
intoxicating cover of Richard Thompson's "Persuasion", which takes on
new life in her care. Her flute work on the instrumental "Humours of
Whiskey" is, again, otherworldly in its effect, complimenting the
haunting vocal performance provided in "The Emigrant's Farewell".
Repeat as necessary – and it will be " Exclaim Magazine, August
2006.
"In the last three years, Muireann Nic
Amhlaoibh has risen to prominence with Danú, knocking audiences out
with her warm toned and richly expressive voice, and she does that
again and more with ther first solo album, Daybreak. " A vocalist of exceptional talent and sensitivity....."Daybreak" is the dawning of a major solo force in Irish traditional music. " Earl Hitchner, Irish Echo, June 7th 2006 It's a highly impressive work. Colin Randall, The Telegraph. "There is a mesmerising, fluent quality to Muireann's voice that will leave you wanting to listen to her songs over and over." Irish World, June 29th , 2006. "Danú frontwoman Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh opens her debut solo CD with a beautiful rendition of Gerry O’Beirne’s ‘Western Highway’, a great song that’s been long overdue for a revisit since Maura O’Connell’s memorable1987 recording of it. O’Beirne himself plays guitar and ukelele on the track, in addition to contributing a mournful National steel guitar to a stunner of a song called ‘The Isle of Malachy’, which he also wrote. It’s one of the highlights of the album, along with Richard Thompson’s ‘Persuasion’ and a lovely lullaby in Irish, ‘Seoithín Seothó’. Nic Amhlaoibh has a nice low earthy voice that’s light and breezy at the top end but grows richer towards the bottom of her range; she’s also a mean flute and whistle player, as demonstrated on the two instrumental tracks here." 9/10 Sarah Mc Quaid, Hot Press magazine, May 4th, 2006. "It's a voice hewn of bog
oak yet, critically, as contemporary as the vocal twists of Damien
Dempsey or the verbal slingshots of Martin McDonagh. As lead vocalist
and flute player with Danú, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh brought a west Kerry
repertoire and an ear for a good lyric to an ensemble already well
versed in the intricacies of a good session. Daybreak: Fáinne An Lae,
Nic Amhlaoibh's solo debut, is shot through with an unforced fluency
and, surprisingly, a remarkable gravitas. From her pensive reading of
the lullaby Seoithín Seothó to the oceanic sweep of her voice on Slán
Le Máigh, Nic Amhlaoibh's debut is a languid treasure. Even her cover
of Richard Thompson and Tim Finn's Persuasion underscores an unerring
sense of the right song in the right place." ****
Siobhán Long, The Irish Times, Fri 28th April 2006. "Nic Amhlaoibh is a precious talent." "A real find." "An accomplished vocal talent in both Gaelic
and English, her singing has a rich fluent quality." "..one of the earthiest and most distinctive
voices, not just in traditional circles, but anywhere."
"An immediate star. Wow!" |
|||||