CELTIC WOMAN
''SONGS FROM THE HEART''
JANUARY 26 2010
55:56
1/Fields Of Gold/3:49
2/Amazing Grace/4:58
3/Níl Sé'n Lá/3:37
4/My Lagan Love/2:52
5/When You Believe/4:31
6/The New Ground / Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears/6:41
7/The Coast Of Galicia/3:38
8/Non C'è Più/4:50
9/The Moon's A Harsh Mistress/3:16
10/You'll Be In My Heart/4:03
11/Goodnight My Angel/3:14
12/Galway Bay/4:16
13/The Lost Rose Fantasia/2:19
14/O, America!/3:51
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Songs from the Heart is the fifth offering from the Celtic Woman quintet. With some alternating membership, it sticks close to producer and arranger David Downes' (of Riverdance fame) vision/formula: these women sing contemporary and traditional Celtic songs and well-known standards backed by a choir, Celtic folk instruments -- bodhran, fiddle, Uilleann pipes, and bagpipes -- a full backing band, and an orchestra. Lisa Kelly does a tender reading of of Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” as an opener, while the entire group participates in an overblown version of “Amazing Grace,” complete with bagpipes. There is a lovely version of the traditional ballad “Nil Sé’n Lá” once more sung by the quintet with killer bodhran playing by Ray Fean. The song selection here is somewhat more eclectic than on previous albums, as evidenced by a complex, spit-shined and polished take on the Phil Collins-penned Disney tune “You’ll Be in My Heart” for an Alex Sharpe solo, the British Isles standard “My Lagan Love,” and even Dvorák’s “Non C’è Più.”
BIOGRAPHY
by Matt Collar
Celtic Woman is a female vocal ensemble that performs a mix of Celtic, New Age, and adult contemporary music. Often compared to such artists as Clannad, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt, Celtic Woman first rose to acclaim with an energetic stage show that shared much in common with similarly-minded productions like Riverdance (whose music director, David Downes, was the driving force behind Celtic Woman's formation in 2004). The group's first performance was filmed by PBS in 2004 and broadcast one year later, accompanied by a wildly popular CD and DVD. Although intended to be the group's only release, the album climbed to the top of the Billboard World Music chart and stayed there for a record-setting 81 weeks, thus setting the stage for Celtic Woman's long career.
Celtic Woman began touring heavily, sometimes logging as many as 35 weeks a year on the road. While a series of PBS specials ensured that the ladies remained on America's TV screens, additional album releases helped them remain on the charts. The holiday-themed A Christmas Celebration appeared in 2006, with A New Journey following in 2007. Both albums topped the World Music chart, and A New Journey even acheived some crossover success by peaking at number four on the Billboard 2000. Meanwhile, several members of Celtic Woman's shifting lineup also released solo albums, although none of them fared as well as the group's own records. Released in 2008, The Greatest Journey combined material from Celtic Woman's older albums with several new songs. It was followed two years later by Songs from the Heart, which found the group mixing some contemporary covers into its repetoire.
''SONGS FROM THE HEART''
JANUARY 26 2010
55:56
1/Fields Of Gold/3:49
2/Amazing Grace/4:58
3/Níl Sé'n Lá/3:37
4/My Lagan Love/2:52
5/When You Believe/4:31
6/The New Ground / Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears/6:41
7/The Coast Of Galicia/3:38
8/Non C'è Più/4:50
9/The Moon's A Harsh Mistress/3:16
10/You'll Be In My Heart/4:03
11/Goodnight My Angel/3:14
12/Galway Bay/4:16
13/The Lost Rose Fantasia/2:19
14/O, America!/3:51
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Songs from the Heart is the fifth offering from the Celtic Woman quintet. With some alternating membership, it sticks close to producer and arranger David Downes' (of Riverdance fame) vision/formula: these women sing contemporary and traditional Celtic songs and well-known standards backed by a choir, Celtic folk instruments -- bodhran, fiddle, Uilleann pipes, and bagpipes -- a full backing band, and an orchestra. Lisa Kelly does a tender reading of of Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” as an opener, while the entire group participates in an overblown version of “Amazing Grace,” complete with bagpipes. There is a lovely version of the traditional ballad “Nil Sé’n Lá” once more sung by the quintet with killer bodhran playing by Ray Fean. The song selection here is somewhat more eclectic than on previous albums, as evidenced by a complex, spit-shined and polished take on the Phil Collins-penned Disney tune “You’ll Be in My Heart” for an Alex Sharpe solo, the British Isles standard “My Lagan Love,” and even Dvorák’s “Non C’è Più.”
BIOGRAPHY
by Matt Collar
Celtic Woman is a female vocal ensemble that performs a mix of Celtic, New Age, and adult contemporary music. Often compared to such artists as Clannad, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt, Celtic Woman first rose to acclaim with an energetic stage show that shared much in common with similarly-minded productions like Riverdance (whose music director, David Downes, was the driving force behind Celtic Woman's formation in 2004). The group's first performance was filmed by PBS in 2004 and broadcast one year later, accompanied by a wildly popular CD and DVD. Although intended to be the group's only release, the album climbed to the top of the Billboard World Music chart and stayed there for a record-setting 81 weeks, thus setting the stage for Celtic Woman's long career.
Celtic Woman began touring heavily, sometimes logging as many as 35 weeks a year on the road. While a series of PBS specials ensured that the ladies remained on America's TV screens, additional album releases helped them remain on the charts. The holiday-themed A Christmas Celebration appeared in 2006, with A New Journey following in 2007. Both albums topped the World Music chart, and A New Journey even acheived some crossover success by peaking at number four on the Billboard 2000. Meanwhile, several members of Celtic Woman's shifting lineup also released solo albums, although none of them fared as well as the group's own records. Released in 2008, The Greatest Journey combined material from Celtic Woman's older albums with several new songs. It was followed two years later by Songs from the Heart, which found the group mixing some contemporary covers into its repetoire.
