by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Gaelic Storm
Album: "How Are We Getting Home"
Year produced: 2004

If one thing doesn't grab you on this CD, another surely will. Fan of good instrumentation? Got it. Fantastic lyrics? There. Variety? You bet. Humor? Yup, and here is a little proof for the skeptics:

(From track 3, Punjab Paddy)

"You can keep your forty shades of green, they only make me blue,
You can stick your eggs and bacon, boys, I'll have a Vindaloo,
I found a place in India, so far across the foam,
You can call me Punjab Paddy boys, I'm never comin' home."

But Gaelic Storm can also write and play pretty, singing songs of love and longing just as well. This is CD number five for the band, and you can see them getting better and smoother all the time. An Cailin Deas Rua, sung in Irish Gaelic has breezy harmonies that give the song a chant-type feel without the seriousness.

While it is hard to pull a favorite out of an effort this good, I do have to say that When I Win was just too much fun . . . a bunch of musicians thinking big thoughts about winning the lottery and spending the spoils. After all, who hasn't had the dream?

A far cry from their somewhat humble beginnings as the "party band" in the movie Titanic, Gaelic Storm has stood up and claimed their niche in Irish music. Stretching their range on this CD has made for a nice mixture of tunes. Listen for influences from some co-writers who add a unique flavor to certain songs, and see what this band is up to now. With 15 tracks on the album, there is plenty to choose from.

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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.

Labels: cd_review_2006

Posted by Marc Gunn, Wednesday, March 08, 2006.
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