by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Maireid Sullivan
Album: "Never Drift Apart"
Year produced: 2003

Ohhh, it's soooo pretty! The dreamy echoes of Sullivan's music and her yearning to connect with her listeners are all simply marvelous right off the bat with the first track here--which is also the title track, "Never Drift Apart." This CD nearly fits into the Celtic "new-age" genre, but allows its boundaries to flow to and fro, depending on the mood of the tune so it isn't exactly a neat box within which to place the songs. Her sound doesn't categorize easily--you can't compare her to Enya or McKennitt, because she doesn't sound like either, but she is just as captivating. A truly unique vocal artist.

Interestingly, Sullivan also does a lovely job of covering a variety of tunes here--adding her own stamp to them. You'll find Clapton's "River of Tears" and others, but she knows how to make them her own. The music you will find here is comforting and soul-soothing; music to meditate to or unwind with after an especially harrowing day. You can feel that Sullivan is a deep and thoughtful soul--it comes through clearly in the vocals and choice of songs on the CD.

Irish-born and the daughter of a tenor, Sullivan has also lived in the United States and Australia, where she currently resides. The vocalist avows an avid interest in Celtic history and is also a poet and writer. You won't find anything jarring or too energizing here--this is a CD to renew and refresh yourself, not one to get your feet moving. You can tell that each track is carefully crafted, and some have such depth as to almost sound like a hymn. Really, this is an outstanding and moving CD--one with presence.

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Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among others and reviews music for Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her photography website at www.moonbeamdigital.com.

Labels: cd_review_2007

Posted by Marc Gunn, Thursday, April 26, 2007.
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