by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Albannach
Album: "Eye Of The Storm"
Year produced: 2007

I was intrigued right of the bat with this CD and loved it all the way through. If you are a fan of Scottish music this is an investment you'll want to make--unless you are a die-hard traditionalist. You'll not get that here. The music has great energy, but isn't your typical fare either. The pipes are top notch and the outstanding thump of the drums in combination with unusual vocals and vocal sounds make it a feast for the ears. Energy, energy, energy!

The name Albannach is Scots-Gaelic for "Scotsman" or "Scottish" and this band is indeed proud of their heritage. This fact is reflected in everything they do. Track 4 is a bit of a surprise--a woman's clear voice calls forth the lyrics to "Scotland Is Her Name" with stunning skill and beauty. Many of the tracks on the album have a real "other worldly" quality to them; almost dreamlike. This is music that would do well as the soundtrack for a really cool movie since it manages to put you in a particular state of being just by listening to it. There seem to be some heavy rock influences to some of the tracks, yet they manage to avoid sounding like rock somehow. Dang difficult to describe well I must say, but likeable nonetheless.

There is something polished about this band, and they have a very solid sound too. The drums and pipes hammer almost all the way through and it really makes for a tremendous CD. Sometimes dreamy, sometimes powerful--this 12-track effort is well worth a listen and Albannach can confidently take a place at the head of the class.

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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's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her website at www.catherineltully.com.

Labels: cd_review_2008

Posted by Marc Gunn, Wednesday, April 23, 2008.
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