by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: NightinGael
Album: "First Flight"
Year produced: 2007

This unique group delivers quite a lovely CD with "First Flight." The hammered dulcimer is at the heart of the sound here and it is quite pretty. At 19 tracks, there is plenty to listen to, and all of it is good. Fans of the instrument will no doubt adore this offering as it is the centerpiece for the entire CD. The hammered dulcimer looks somewhat like an offbeat xylophone and produces a crisp chime when played.

You'll hear Celtic, Renaissance and early American music here, and the sound of the hammered dulcimer always delivers an upbeat, sprightly feel to any tune it plays. This leaves the CD with an optimistic, happy aura to it. The four person band is from western New York and delivers simple, charming songs. Favorites include Rose, Rose and March of St. Timothy.

The band includes a wide variety of songs here so that things don't get dull. The dulcimer sound weaves the album together, and the arrangements are always fresh while still managing to retain a traditional feel to them. The CD could be voted "most likely to leave you feeling happy," thanks to that special dulcimer sound.

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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 other magazines, and reviews music for Marc Gunn'sCeltic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her website at http://www.catherineltully.com/.

Labels: cd_review_2008

Posted by Marc Gunn, Tuesday, June 10, 2008.
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