They're heading into the studio!

[CWazyTom]

It's live on Spotify!!!!!

Listening now!

Woooooooo!!!!!!!

[CWazyTom]

It's live on Spotify!!!!!

Listening now!

Woooooooo!!!!!!!

MY GOODNESS IT'S AMAZING!!!!

I'll let it soak in for a while, but my initial reaction is this is a legitimate contender for my favourite album ever!

The next post will contain some spoilers, so beware.

[CWazyTom]

SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW
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Voices of Angels - Initial Reactions


My Heart Will Go On (Group)
- Very nice group song
- Fitting that this song would begin with Eabha's haunting voice
- During the first chorus they all sing the same notes together. It feels like they were holding all the harmony back for later in the song.
- The harmony near the end is spectacular!

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears (Eabha)
- An emotional song powered by Eabha's beautiful voice and moving orchestration.
- The Songs from the Heart version of this song is one of my favourite two Celtic Woman songs ever. It's hard to live up to that kind of billing.
- The orchestral swells don't quite reach the epic peaks they did in the original version.
- However, the orchestration does come close at times to drowning out Eabha's voice.
- The massive choir and instrumental surge in the original version worked because 4 girls with high and tremendously powerful voices were able to sing above it. Eabha's voice is deeper, so the higher pitch of the orchestra is relatively more noticeable.

As She Moved Through The Fair - 2016 Version (Susan)
- This song underutilized Susan's skillset
- A variety of supporting instruments, including the harp and uilleann pipes added some intreague to this song
- The bridge in the middle of the song and at the end was surprising but beautiful. I loved it!

Mo Ghile Mear (Group)
- Different words and a different beat
- Epic percussion
- Powerful orchestral and choral backing
- The original is one of my favourite songs! I love this even more than the original arrangement
- One of the few criticisms I have of the Mo Ghile Mear arrangements from A New Journey was that the drum solo in the middle of the song, while it was fun, sort of suspended the momentum of the song.
- In this version, there's a brief section of harmonious a cappella before the finale
- The original arrangement sort of builds towards an epic finale, whereas this new version sustains a higher energy throughout and a thrilling if slightly less explosive ending

Ave Maria (Mairead Carlin)
- Mairead showcases her impressive range
- Similar to Chloë's version from the original Celtic Woman album and every bit as good
- Mairead has more vibrato than Chloë did in her original version

For The Love Of A Princess (Tara)
- Tara showcases her classical style
- This is extremely well done! She draws a tremendous amount of emotion out of her violin.
- The orchestration is deeply moving and supports her well
- The part with the uilleann pipes are quite appropriate to the song

Time to Say Goodbye (Group)
- Mairead Carlin opens the song.
- Mairead really lets loose in this song! Her opera voice is spectacular!
- The group harmony in the last half of the song is very nice

Dulaman
- It has Meav!
- More epic percussion and orchestration than the original
- I mean no disrespect to the previous CW versions and the CaraNua arrangement. I enjoyed them greatly. But this is my favourite version of Dulaman by a huge margin.

Walk Beside Me (Group)
- They take turns singing and the group parts are even better than the Destiny version
- The orchestration and uilleann pipes are incredibly moving (so strong it almost drowns out their voices at times)

O, America (Group)
- It's fantastic that Meav finally got an opportunity to sing this
- Might be even more moving than the Isle of Hope / Songs from the Heart verions
- The harmony is more intricate than the original version
- The orchestra and choir backing are gripping and intense
- The uilleann pipes at a celtic feel
- The orchestral swell is breathtaking
- The finale is spectacular

A Time For Us (Mairead Carlin, Tara)
- Mairead Carlin shows off her awesome range and power
- Tara's string-work is passionate
- It's not the catchiest of songs, but it is very pretty
- The key change at the start of the chorus is breathtaking
- Strong, sweeping orchestration

Across The World (Tara)
- Similar style to Mairead Nesbitt's slow-fast songs from previous Celtic Woman albums
- The back half of the song is fast-paced, catchy and extremely fun!
- Tara and her violin gets an intense workout.
- If there was any doubt that Tara was up to the challenge, this song will silence those doubts. Tara maintains a relentless and exhilerating pace through the last half of the song.
- This definitely lives up to the standard set by Mariead Nesbitt.

Teir Abhaile Riu - 2016 Version (group)
- Similar to the Destiny tour arrangement, but with significantly more orchestral backing
- Intense underlying percussion and lively string accompaniment
- It's very different from the Believe and Emerald arrangements. Those arrangements were highly entertaining theatrical pieces. The Destiny tour version was playful, though less theatrical than its predecesors. This version is slightly less playful but more epic.
- The Believe/Emerald versions had a major-key bridge. This version sticks to a minor key throughout.

Joy To The World - 2016 Version (group)
- A lovely arrangement
- The horn gives parts of this song a British feel
- Strong choir backing
- Not quite as thunderous an arrangement as in Home for Christmas

Silent Night (group)
- A change of pace from the previous songs
- Eahba's haunting voice and Tara's enchanting string-work open the song, then the other girls join in
- The voices blend together very well
- Has some intriguing and intricate harmony

Once In Royal David's City (group)
- Sweet and soothing harmony and supporting choir / orchestration
- The melody is very pleasant
- The most hymn-like song on the album
- They truly have voices of angels

I decided not to assign ratings to each song because I was pretty much giving them all 5/5 anyways.


Balance:

Celtic Woman has always been known for their epic harmony. I thought Meav, Gavin, and the girls did a very good job of achieving vocal balance when our ladies sang together.

Tara did an excellent job of blending in on the vocal tracks, complimenting their voices perfectly without overshadowing them.

The orchestration was REALLY good. It was way more prevalent than I was expecting, as was the percussion. At some points, the orchestration was so strong that the singers were almost supporting the orchestra instead of the other way around. Even so, it sounded amazing.


Picking Favourites:

Least favourite song: As She Moved Through the Fair ... It was a good song, but didn't capitalize on Susan's versatility. I would have loved to unleash her voice on a broadway song. The fact that I still really liked my least favourite song on the album speaks to just how amazing this album was!

Favourite song: Mo Ghile Mear ... An improved version of a song that was already one of my favourites!

Favourite moment: The back half of Across the World ... Extremely fun! Epic pace!


Comparisons

There were several songs on the album that Celtic Woman has performed before:
- I felt that while Isle of Hope Isle of Tears was beautiful, I still preferred the original version, which is one of my favourite songs ever.
- Teir Abhaile Riu conceded a bit in the way of theatrics and playfulness over the Believe/Emerald versions. The Destiny tour version was playful with the girls unveiling their other musical talents. That playfulness didn't quite get communicated as well in the song without the visual of Eabha playing her tin whistle, Mairead playing her accordion Beatrice, or Susan playing the spoons. However, it still managed to achieve the same energy, just in a different way.
- In the case of Dulaman, O, America, and Mo Ghile Mear, I thought the new versions surpassed even the originals!

I have not yet heard the new recordings of the following songs (waiting on my CD before I can comment):
- Danny Boy
- Amazing Grace
- You Raise Me Up
- Níl Sé'n Lá


Overall impressions:

Overall Rating: 5/5

This is Celtic Woman's most uplifting album, in my opinion! It didn't let up! There isn't a single song on this album I didn't love and every moment was incredible!

Over the years, Celtic Woman has produced many songs that are beautiful and powerful beyond description. For me, this album was less about overwhealming emotional peaks as it was about sustained bliss.

Before the album released, I knew I was going to love it no matter what.

But this album somehow exceeded my every expectation.

The lush, sweeping orchestration and the exhilarating percussion were far beyond what I had anticipated. The harmony was sublime. Tara was breathtaking. And WOW did they ever unleash Mairead Carlin in this album! I mean ... WOW!!!

I was expecting to be thrilled like I am with every Celtic Woman album. Instead, I was totally blown away! I'll give it a few days to see if my initial impression becomes tempered, but so far this is a legitimate contender for my favourite album ever!




SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE
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[Jonas]

I just listened to it on spotify, and I enjoyed it a lot!

[White Rose]

Currently at Dulaman.

I thought I'd be more "meh" to this album because of the amount of old songs. But they're all vastly different than on the previous albums.

[rfcw]

mmm `interesting bits of news in there ........

I got my Target giftcard in hand for today I'm heading Over to grab my purchase on it!

Great insights though / if somehow they don't happen to have them which my own past recall experiences
then the anticipation won't floff off the day since I'll be able to tune in on Spotify tonight if I'm eagor for it to still make OUT This Day For Me!*

In my earlier recall visits Oh yes for either SFTH or Believe I was so excited but had to wait Best Buy didn't
have the stock in. Same thing for the Destiny DVD I still don't have by the way.`
Funny I never had an issue for A Christmas Celebration The DVD since at Borders it was on the Shelf in front of Me (a rare find)
-in my opinion so few copies.

[CWazyTom]

There's no Target in Canada anymore. There was briefly a few years ago. It failed in almost the most epic way possible. I could order from the US Target but:
1. I'm already getting the CD from Amazon.
2. Shipping internationally from.US Target to Canada costs more than the CD.
3. It takes a while to ship.
4. I'm going to the US for Home for Christmas in a month. I can just get it then if I really can't find the extra tracks anywhere else.

[Celtic Chan]

I'm listening to it on Spotify now!

[rfcw]

Cool CWazyTom I didn't know you lived in Canada.  

Just in I got mine last night, there were just 3 copies on the shelves. OM...
It cost $16 for the exclusive but at check-out they saved me $5!!  

Also, I was quite so stunned at what I Discovered on the CD!
look at my next post....

There's no Target in Canada anymore. There was briefly a few years ago. It failed in almost the most epic way possible. I could order from the US Target but:
1. I'm already getting the CD from Amazon.
2. Shipping internationally from.US Target to Canada costs more than the CD.
3. It takes a while to ship.
4. I'm going to the US for Home for Christmas in a month. I can just get it then if I really can't find the extra tracks anywhere else.

[rfcw]

Voice's Of Angels` Exclusives CD
Alert: Ahead Surprise Announcements!

I was really Surprised When I reached for the CD at Target yesterday Evening.

As I flipped over noticed even more surprise!
  
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       _______________
            _______

Check out the Spoiler Caution Voice's Of Angel's Exclusive CD Link if your ready or okay for spoiler surprises...
If you want to be surprised stay on this page.>

 

[CWazyTom]

Before the album released, I knew I was going to love it no matter what.

But this album somehow exceeded my every expectation.

The lush, sweeping orchestration and the exhilarating percussion were far beyond what I had anticipated.

The harmony was sublime.

Tara was breathtaking.

And WOW did they ever unleash Mairead Carlin in this album! I mean ... WOW!!!

[Tiffany Gray]

Before the album released, I knew I was going to love it no matter what.

But this album somehow exceeded my every expectation.

The lush, sweeping orchestration and the exhilarating percussion were far beyond what I had anticipated.

The harmony was sublime.

Tara was breathtaking.

And WOW did they ever unleash Mairead Carlin in this album! I mean ... WOW!!!

OMG AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!! I soooo agree!

[CWazyTom]

Alright. I had to think a while if I actually wanted to post this because I've literally never had to say this before. I'm going to have to break several of my own rules just to post this, but I think it needs to be done.

There are album spoilers below.


-- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW --


Ok, here we go.

The Voices of Angels album arrived in the mail today!

It's the 18-track one, as expected (not the 20-track Target one). That's what I was expecting, so no surprise.

I hugged it delightedly before opening it. 

Side-note: If you open the track listing in Windows Media player, it doesn't have track metadata (ie. it just says Track 1, Track 2, Track 3). Not a huge deal. Destiny was the same way. I can always rip the songs to MP3 and just add the metadata myself. Takes time, but I'm happy to do it. 

I've heard all the tracks on it except for the two non-Target-CD exclusive tracks: Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up so I played those two right away.

So here's the hard part and I'm not really sure how to say this but there's no way around it. These tracks sounded nice, but the previous arrangements of Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up are way, WAY better. I like to think I do a pretty good job of compartmentalizing and not comparing. But the previous arrangements were spectacular. These are is not even close.

They're definitely my two least favourite tracks on the album by a significant margin.

You Raise Me Up sounds nice but it's just not nearly as spectacular as the earlier versions or anything else on the CD.

Amazing Grace ... again, it sounds nice, but it's really weird and all the parts that blew me away in the previous arrangement have been stripped away.

Again, I want to state these two songs aren't "bad." They are very nice if you can completely separate them from the previous versions. But these are two of the most iconic songs in Celtic Woman history and a part of me just feels crushed by these arrangements.

I read this kind of thing in the review that was posted earlier and I honestly didn't believe it. I believe it now.

This doesn't change my impression of the album as a whole. I absolutely love it. But there's no way to sugar coat how I feel about these two songs. I think this is the first time in my life I've ever been disappointed listening to Celtic Woman tracks and I want to cry just for saying it (well, to be blunt, I actually am crying right now because I'm upset with myself, I'm sorry I have to post this, and just kind of in shock at the moment).

I'm so, SO sorry if I made anyone else sad by posting this and a part of me hates myself for doing it, but I think it had to be done.

I don't know, maybe once I listen to these a few times, I'll really, really love them. I hope so. But for now, I think I'll just stick to the rest of the songs on the album.

-- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE --

[CWazyTom]

Alright. I had to think a while if I actually wanted to post this because I've literally never had to say this before. I'm going to have to break several of my own rules just to post this, but I think it needs to be done.

There are album spoilers below.


-- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW --


Ok, here we go.

The Voices of Angels album arrived in the mail today!

It's the 18-track one, as expected (not the 20-track Target one). That's what I was expecting, so no surprise.

I hugged it delightedly before opening it. 

Side-note: If you open the track listing in Windows Media player, it doesn't have track metadata (ie. it just says Track 1, Track 2, Track 3). Not a huge deal. Destiny was the same way. I can always rip the songs to MP3 and just add the metadata myself. Takes time, but I'm happy to do it. 

I've heard all the tracks on it except for the two non-Target-CD exclusive tracks: Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up so I played those two right away.

So here's the hard part and I'm not really sure how to say this but there's no way around it. These tracks sounded nice, but the previous arrangements of Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up are way, WAY better. I like to think I do a pretty good job of compartmentalizing and not comparing. But the previous arrangements were spectacular. These are is not even close.

They're definitely my two least favourite tracks on the album by a significant margin.

You Raise Me Up sounds nice but it's just not nearly as spectacular as the earlier versions or anything else on the CD.

Amazing Grace ... again, it sounds nice, but it's really weird and all the parts that blew me away in the previous arrangement have been stripped away.

Again, I want to state these two songs aren't "bad." They are very nice if you can completely separate them from the previous versions. But these are two of the most iconic songs in Celtic Woman history and a part of me just feels crushed by these arrangements.

I read this kind of thing in the review that was posted earlier and I honestly didn't believe it. I believe it now.

This doesn't change my impression of the album as a whole. I absolutely love it. But there's no way to sugar coat how I feel about these two songs. I think this is the first time in my life I've ever been disappointed listening to Celtic Woman tracks and I want to cry just for saying it (well, to be blunt, I actually am crying right now because I'm upset with myself, I'm sorry I have to post this, and just kind of in shock at the moment).

I'm so, SO sorry if I made anyone else sad by posting this and a part of me hates myself for doing it, but I think it had to be done.

I don't know, maybe once I listen to these a few times, I'll really, really love them. I hope so. But for now, I think I'll just stick to the rest of the songs on the album.

-- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE --

-- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW --

I listened to the two extra songs again. I haven't changed my mind about Amazing Grace. While it was a nice song, it's a shadow of it's former self. I'll give it a 2 out of 5.

After listening to You Raise Me Up a second time, it's actually pretty nice. It's a much softer version than the arrangement we know and love. It's pretty, but certainly not spectacular. I'll give it either a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

I still can't believe I'm even typing this. I doesn't feel real...

I'm definitely overreacting quite a bit, but not completely.

I'm literally going to have to listen to other Celtic Woman songs to cheer me up after listening to a Celtic Woman song. Please somebody tell me this isn't real. 

[CWazyTom]

SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW --- SPOILERS BELOW ... I'm not kidding, there are spoilers about the CD version

...


Ok, now that I've calmed down a bit after freaking out yesterday over the two extra songs, here's a more mellow review of the two extra songs. I haven't changed my mind about them but this is at least a less emotionally charged revision of what I posted yesterday.

The original review was based off the 16 songs that were available through Spotify or from online sources (ie. iTunes or various digitital download retailers).

I got my Voices of Angels CD yesterday. It's not the version from Target (no Target in Canada anymore and the international shipping cost from the US to Canada is pretty absurd).

The regular CD has 18 songs (2 extras). The Target version has 20 songs.

I hate to say it, but the two extra songs (Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up), which were two of my favourite Celtic Woman songs ever, did not live up to the standard of the previous Celtic Woman arrangements of these songs. It wasn't close. They were very different than the "Classic Celtic Woman" versions. The Classic versions were powerful, emotional, and utterly spectacular. The new arrangements of these two songs took a different direction and I don't think it worked out. They removed almost all of the power and watered down the harmony. They're nice, soft songs, but nothing like the previous arrangements and they weren't nearly as good as any other songs on the album in my opinion.

Of the two songs, I preferred You Raise Me Up. It was kind of pretty, but far more mellow than its predecessor.

Amazing Grace was very different than the previous CW arrangements of this song. For almost all of the songs on this album, I felt the songs they re-covered were either better than the originals or had really enjoyable differences from the originals. I don't feel the same way about Amazing Grace. The good parts got taken away and the different parts didn't really add anything spectacular to make up for the changes.

Now that I'm mostly over my shock, I still don't think I'll ever love these two songs like I love (almost) every Celtic Woman song I've ever heard. I still love the album overall.

But if anyone's trying to decide between getting a CD version and a digital download version, this is definitely something to take into consideration.

Now for the surprise POSITIVE TWIST...

Seeing other reviews that are less uh...negative than mine has been very encouraging. They haven't changed my opinion, but I'm a bit less panicked about what the general audience will think of those songs and the album overall.

I think the most important thing though at this point is that I have an even greater appreciation and love for the previous recordings of Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up. Those "Classic" versions were arranged and performed to perfection. Sometimes it's taken for granted how lucky we are to have those songs and how difficult it must have been to achieve such spectacular quality.







SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE --- SPOILERS ABOVE