Artist: Rising Gael
Album: One More Day
Year produced: 2008

This band is tough to pin down and describe definitively, as they have such variety going. On "One More Day" you might hear the sound of Scottish pipes one moment, and then African drums the next. The somewhat unusual combination of instruments gives the band a "world music" vibe, but it is distinctly stamped with Celtic as well. Yidaki, harmonica, bass and piano are other instruments you can expect to hear from time to time as well.

The lead vocalist, Erin Ellison, has a unique voice that adds another dimension to the sound of each track. Here she does a rendition of "Stretched on Your Grave" that is all her own, and very different. Other notable tracks include "Toirneach," for its wild bagpipes, and "Journey Man," for its simplicity and gentle harmonies. All the instruments are well-played, and the arrangements are good without being overly complex. A good, solid album.

---

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 CatherineLTully.com.

Published by Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. Don't just download. Support your favorite Celtic music groups. Buy Celtic music CDs.

1 Comments:

 Patsy said...

While I completely agree that the musicians of this group are very talented with the violinist being
outstanding, I feel that the lead vocalist is very pitchy in a live performance and is often weak in her vocal ablility. I have heard many Celtic bands that are equally
good and frankly, better due to having stronger lead vocalists.

10:22 AM  

Post a Comment