"Believe" - For 2012, a Different, But Still Moving, Celtic Woman

[glenn]

On Wednesday, I had the great privilege of seeing Celtic Woman perform live here in Sacramento with a Meet and Greet afterwards.  Big changes were evident.  This made me all the more thankful to see Mairead and Chloe, as artistic, expressive, and wonderful as always.  It is, to be sure, a different, and evolved, Celtic Woman.

The addition of an Irish step dancer--a different fellow than at the Fox Theater show--was welcome.  Still, the slow but sure drift away from their Celtic roots continues, though the results are far less displeasing than one might expect, and at times pleasantly surprising.  Who would have thought, for example, that Celtic Woman would do a song about an extraterrestrial visitor?  Or that it would be one of the high points of the show?

On that note, we should all thank God for Lisa Lambe.  She, her depth and versatility, has saved Celtic Woman from the great losses following from the rampant personnel changes of the last couple of years.  In her, those losses have been recouped, and then some.  As I told her directly, Celtic Woman is a different entity, and a better one, now with her here.

Lisa Kelly's absence was felt.  Though I noted a few glimmers of greatness in Sue's performance and I was impressed with her rendition of "The Water is Wide," she has a terribly high bar to reach to fill the role of the great Lisa Kelly, and simply cannot avoid comparisons.  The lady must have courage to take on such a challenge, and I commend her for that.  If--and I really hope I'm wrong on this--Lisa's absence becomes permanent, Sue will just have to reach deep within herself to call forth the greatness necessary for fill Lisa's shoes.

We should also be thankful that the two core ladies, Mairead and Chloe, remain and remain true to the airtistry, giving their all, and more, night after night.  As I have said in the past of Mairead, she never changes, she just keeps getting better, continuing to amaze album after album, show after show.  Chloe continues to develop into a world-class talent in her own right, and now, especially in Lisa Kelly's absence, is the new anchor of the show, and fulfills the role like the true professional that she is.  I was very grateful for the opportunity to express my admiration to her directly at the Meet and Greet.  Of Mairead and Chloe, there would be no more Celtic Woman without either of them.  They are both indispensible.

It is remarkable that Celtic Woman can continue to deliver such a great artistic experience after all the profound changes of the recent past.  It is truly a testament to the artistry and dedication of all involved, and for all of us who have followed them over years, our loyalty has been richly rewarded.  

[chellek]

There was another poster who stated that when someone is filling in, they should be given at least one song of "their own".  I won't see the concert until tomorrow, but I agree with your assessment of Susan.  What difficult shoes to fill, but from what I can see on youtube, she is holding her own.

I cannot wait until tomorrow.  Thanks for the review.

Michelle

[KerriC]

Still, the slow but sure drift away from their Celtic roots continues, though the results are far less displeasing than one might expect, and at times pleasantly surprising.  Who would have thought, for example, that Celtic Woman would do a song about an extraterrestrial visitor?  Or that it would be one of the high points of the show?

I find your take on the new show interesting because in my opinion this show doesn't drift away from traditional Celtic music, if anything I think there are more elements of Celtic tradition then there was on SFTH eg The Water is Wide" which is essentially a reworded Carrickfergus, Green Grow the Rushes, TAR, A Womans Heart  was wriiten by Irish singer/songwriter Eleanor McEvoy 20 years ago, and others I'm pretty sure are traditional Irish songs like The Parting Glass, Black is the Color, Follow On and Mairead's piece Women of Ireland and possibly The Foxhunter too . As far as ASCT (Spaceman), Lisa Lambe has stated numeous times that this is a traditional Irish song played in every household in Ireland on Christmas day. It was wriiten by Chris Deburgh and to me it's a modern day spin on the story of Jesus's birth. 

Not saying your not entitled to your own opinion I just found it odd. 

[Emer Dreamer]

  Susan sure did do a fine job filling in for Lisa K. I think that whenever a new member joins, she comes under some scrutiny but I believe that Susan has held up well. I don't know if it is known for sure yet if she will be continuing on or not after Lisa K. comes back, but she certainly should be considered. As to the other issue- My impression is that there has always been a good balance in music selection for their concerts. The creative minds at CW know how to appeal to a wide fan base. It's true that the balance was a wee bit more on the traditional Irish side this time,  but still retained a mix. To paraphrase something Meav once said..."People leading an increasingly urban lifestyle want to return to a simpler style of music. " It's close to that I think. And she said this a number of years ago and I believe it is even more true now. That is part of CW's success formula I think. Trad. Ir., Pop. , Classical, Showtunes...CW has always had these, but another common denominator is the positive nature of the messages they present. This is why I refer to our Celtic Cuties as "The Goodwill Ambassadors" to the world. Long live CW and those who keep it alive! 

[Starman]

   I don't know what more anyone could ask of in a temporary replacement for Lisa Kelly than Susan McFadden.  Her beauty, grace, ability to get along well with the others are very valuable intangibles quite in addition to her singing and acting abilities which are quite considerable!  

    I was fortunate enough to have her at four M&Gs this tour.  She was always gracious, pleasant and witty in much the same way as the other girls--seemingly a perfect fit in every way.  She gave me a little wave as she left the stage in Louisville and it did produce a bit of pain at the thought that I might not see her again, as it was my last show of the tour.  

   I personally would be thrilled if she were to stay on as a soloist after Lisa Kelly returns.  Regardless, I will be a fan of hers always in whatever she does.  

p.s. fine review Glenn, thank you for posting it for us!

[dbbii]

One thing I think people seem to forget is Celtic Woman is not a "group" in the traditional sense of the word.  Rather, you have 4 INDIVIDUAL, outstanding talents who came together to do a show. 

Think about a lot of other musical groups.  You typically have "Joe and his Band".  Joe is a great lead singer.  Sooner or later, he gets tired of being associated with the band and decides to do a solo career.  With CW, it's not one specific "star".

The fact that CW has changed and evolved over the years doesn't make a huge difference to me.  Sure, I missed seeing Lisa.  Having said that, how many people could really identify which Group number Lisa sang in versus one Susan sang in.

My first CW concert still had Orla and Meav.  I never saw them again.  All my other shows were with various other girls.  Was it different with Alex and Lynn?  Yes.  Better?  No, just different.  Same thing now with Lisa L and Susan.  It's just different.