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Click image below for larger view  ALTAN This title marks Altan's return to the traditional music of their native Donegal. Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, fiddle/vocals; Dermot Byrne, accordion and Ciaran Tourish, whistles were all born in that musically rich county. A perfect example of the Donegal influence is The Silver Slipper - a slip jig associated with the famed Donegal fiddler, John Doherty. Although Mairead plays the stately introduction as a solo, the entire band joins in for a lively ensemble piece. Dermot's accordion is featured on many of the tracks including, Is the Big Man Within/Tilly Finn's Reel and the rowdy Bo Mhin Na Toitean/Con McGinley's Highland. The album features five songs sung by Mairead, three in Gaelic with roots in the Donegal Gaeltacth. Of the songs in English, Adieu, My Lovely Nancy, compares the plight of the seaman who “ploughs the sea”, away from home for long periods, to that of the farmer “who ploughs the land” returning home each night. Wind and Rain tells of a fiddler, who composes a tune after discovering a drowning victim. Mairead then plays the solo piece on the fiddle. Returning to their roots has reinvigorated Altan.   |
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Click image below for larger view  BAGATELLE Liam Reilly, Ken Doyle and John O'Brien reunited in January, 2004 to tour and from that reunion was born the twenty fifth anniversary collection. All of the great Bagatelle hits are here as you remember them: Summer In Dublin, Trump Card, Second Violin, Raining in Paris, Johnny Set em Up, and If You Ever Come Back from England. In addition the band performs some of Liam's solo hits - Streets of New York, Boston Rose and Bainbridge Avenue. Three new songs written for this CD are Tipperary It's A Long Way, Galway and Mr. Harley, Mr. Davidson and Me. The last is a really stand out song about the free spirited life to be found on a motorcycle. |
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