Celtic Music Reviews: 2005/08

Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is a free weekly Celtic music & mp3 magazine featuring free music downloads of Celtic, Scottish, Irish music from around the world. Subscribe for a chance to win free Celtic CDs.

How to Listen to Irish Music Podcasts

It was funny. Today, I was listening to a Celtic radio program. I heard some music I thought was just terrible. Then I smiled. Because I know that if there's something you don't like in a podcast, you can fast forward to the next song. Podcasting is awesome!

There are a bunch of Celtic music podcasts springing up. Unfortunately, I noticed that the majority of the people downloading my podcast are doing so by hand. So I want to offer a wee bit o' Podcast Education.

The great thing about podcasting is that you don't have to visit a website every day to download the latest podcast. Instead, you can subscribe using a podcatcher like iPodder or iTunes. It's simple too.

In iPodder, Ctrl-N and then my RSS Feed into your podcast. Here's the feed:

http://www.celticmp3s.com/podcast.xml

In iTunes, click Advance > Subscribe to Podcast. Then copy the RSS Feed into the dialog box.

I should add that both of those programs are absolutely free. So make your life a little easier and subscribe to the podcast.

More Celtic Podcast:
· Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
· Celtic Music News Podcast
· Irish Music Podcast
· Pub Songs Podcast
· A Brobdingnagian Minute
· Renaissance Festival Podcast

Labels: articles

--posted by Marc Gunn, Monday, August 29, 2005.
Find Celtic Free Music Downloads from the Brobdingnagian Bards.

"The Road to Santiago" by Heather Dale

by J. Wallace

Artist: Heather Dale
Album: "The Road to Santiago"
Year produced: 2005

Canadian Heather Dale's fifth release is an excellent find. The Road to Santiago finds her in top form, with confident and often sassy vocals. The album has some fine Celtic textures including good double fiddle on The Greyhound, and just the right amount of guitar on the nearly a capella Holly, Ivy and Yew.

Heather Dale has been compared to Loreena McKennitt and Sarah McLachlan, but her interest in Arthurian legends and Native American imagery gives the music an added dimension that's a joy to discover. The Road To Santiago has its roots set firmly in Gaeldom, but there are many influences at work including a taste of piano blues on Confession, and on Sedna, there's a hint of Australian aboriginal sounds that would fall flat in lesser hands. On this CD it works quite well.

Medusa is one of the best songs on the CD, and probably one with a good deal of commercial potential. Heather Dale puts herself on par with Tori Amos here-no easy feat-but this song rises to its own category. The energy running through Medusa is worth the price of the entire album.

Dale is getting some much-deserved attention. Her tours have extended beyond Canada into the UK and America, and the singer's popularity is growing fast. After hearing The Road To Santiago, it's easy to understand. Her confidence and skill behind the microphone make it easy to forget you're listening to a studio album instead of a live performance. This could be one of the best Celtic-influenced CDs of the year.

Buy the Album: "The Road to Santiago"

Celtic MP3 Music Magazine writer Joe Wallace reviews music for many publications and writes both nonfiction as well as short stories. His nonfiction work includes articles for Korean Quarterly, Indie-Music.com, the Alternative Culture Guide, and Factsheet Five. Contact him through his website at www.freelance-zone.com.

--posted by Marc Gunn, Tuesday, August 23, 2005.
Find Celtic Free Music Downloads from the Brobdingnagian Bards.

"Harp and Shamrock" by Cady Finlayson

by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Cady Finlayson
Album: "Harp and Shamrock"
Year produced: 2004

After hearing Cady Finlayson's gorgeous fiddle-playing on the CD Take Two (with Sean McCabe) my expectations for Harp and Shamrock were high, and I was not disappointed. Cady's latest effort is terrific and I found my only disappointment was that the CD had to end!

With a good mix of music, Cady's band is every bit as skilled as she is. You'll hear everything from hornpipe music to a waltz to a song called Going to Milwaukee which is a fun, easy listen. Don't miss the title track, Harp and Shamrock/Crock of Gold for a funky, unique musical arrangement that still somehow manages to have a traditional thread running through it.

There is enough going on in this CD to keep things interesting without too much of a departure from the good stuff that people expect in a Celtic album. You'll hear the reels and jigs, but this is not background music. Save it for a day that you can listen to it uninterrupted so you can enjoy it fully. It is just that good.

Album: "Harp and Shamrock"

Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in the arts. She has written for Dance Teacher Magazine, Classical Singer and Dance Spirit among others, and reviews music for Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her at www.freelance-zone.com.

--posted by Marc Gunn, Tuesday, August 23, 2005.
Find Celtic Free Music Downloads from the Brobdingnagian Bards.

"Highland Fling" by Highland Fling

by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Highland Fling
Album: "Highland Fling"
Year produced: 2005

Simple, pleasant Celtic music combining the sound of the harp, fiddle and hammered dulcimer, this is a lovely CD. Susan Kidney's fiddle playing meshes beautifully with the harp music of Donna Germano. There is a mix of traditional Scottish tunes and new music here, so everyone should be pleased.

The music on the CD spans all tempos, with selections arranged well to compliment each other. The range of sounds that both artists can elicit from their instruments shows their expertise and makes the music a pleasure to sit back and listen to. Don't miss the sweet sounds of track 5, Graveyard Fields or Hector the Hero, track 9 which has spoken lyrics in addition to the music; a nice listen.

This album is one to sit back and enjoy. Lament for the Mountains was my favorite track, and is an original of Susan Kidney's. There are 13 tracks with a wide range of sound for only a few instruments! This is a pairing of talent that is something worth listening to.

Buy the Album: "Highland Fling"

--posted by Marc Gunn, Wednesday, August 10, 2005.
Find Celtic Free Music Downloads from the Brobdingnagian Bards.