Review of HiberniaJust looking for info about Hibernia rather than a review? Check this thread instead:
http://www.celticwomanforum.com/index.php?topic=21046.0Preamble:I was planning wait until the hard copy of the album arrived so I could read the liner notes and do some additional research on some of the songs. I felt that would give me an even greater appreciation of the music and the meaning behind each song.
Instead, I've decided to post what I have so far and I may come back and revise some things once I get the hard copy of the album.
The format I've chosen for this review will be somewhat similar to the one I used for Voices of Angels (so hopefully you liked that review style), although I've decided to tone back the emotion quite a bit -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW -- SPOILERS BELOW --...
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Track-by-trackHallowed Fire- A nice slow song with supporting orchestration
- Mairead draws a considerable amount of feeling out of her violin
The First Sheaf- Steady medium-pace song
- The orchestra seems to add an air of anticipation to Mairead's rolling melody
- A fun song overall
Becoming- Has a tribal, world music feel
- An variety of accompanying instruments and sounds
- Maintains a faster pace than The First Sheaf
- Another fun song
- Like in The First Sheaf, the orchestra adds some tension beneath Mairead's fiddling at points during the song
Sean O Duibhir An Ghleanna- A very pretty and emotional slow song
- Reminiscent of There Is No Night from Raining Up
- Mairead puts particularly sharp emphasis on some of the notes for effect
The Ballydesmond Polkas- There's tap dancing
- Good pace
- A bit less catchy a melody than some of the other ones, but fun nonetheless
Belles of Tipperary- It will have you tapping your feet the whole time
- It's a complex tune, so humming along while you're tapping your feet might be difficult
Merrily Kiss The Quaker- Catchy and fast-paced
- The melody and orchestration flow along smoothly
- The tap dancing contributes to the energy of the song
To Bring Them Home- A slow and moving piece
- The vocals of tenor Nathan Pacheco add a different dimension
Captain H- A good old swashbuckling type of song
Bovaglies Plaid- A nice slow song
- Soothing orchestration
- Some parts reminded me of Shenandoah
- Mairead puts particularly sharp emphasis on some of the notes for effect
The Butterfly- More similar to the arrangement from Raining Up than to the Celtic Woman arrangement
- However, while the Raining Up arrangement had almost a jazzy / disco feel, this new arrangement has a more classical one
- Some additional orchestration
There Is No Night- Overwhelmingly beautiful ... one of the most lovely instrumental songs I've ever heard
- If possible, even better than the version on Raining Up
- The orchestration is soothing and compliments Mairead very well
The Dusk- Starts as a rolling melody that transitions engagingly from major to minor keys
- There's a bridge in the middle of the song that's very reminiscent of the end titles in a movie soundtrack
- That transitions into suspenseful and compelling second half
- Definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album
The Dark- Suspenseful slow-to-medium-paced track
- Also reminiscent of what one would find in an epic movie soundtrack
- Quite enjoyable
The Dawn- Starts as a rolling melody that transitions from major to minor keys in a way that is very satisfying and beautiful
- The second half concludes the album in epic fashion
Some tracks had me jumping up and down and clapping along. Several tracks reduced me to tears they were so deeply moving. The last 4 tracks on the album are my favourites, beginning with the There Is No Night and culminating with the Dusk/Dark/Dawn trilogy.
Overall impressions:This is an album is an impressive showcase of Mairead's skill across multiple styles of music.
The album plays very much like a movie soundtrack. The orchestration adds a measure of tension to the music. The orchestration in particular adds a touch of dischordance to the songs that gives the album more of an artsy/classical feel than Celtic Woman music. The album has more of a folk / world-music vibe than her Celtic Woman tracks, as one would expect.
The album offers a bit of everything and something for everyone: folk songs, polkas, slow songs, energetic songs, tap-dancing, even singing. Everything the heart desires. The album experiments with a rich variety of sounds and supporting instruments.
It's possible a general audience may find some songs less "consumable" than Mairead's catchy, pleasant melodies from Celtic Woman. Violin connoisseurs will no doubt get an extra level of appreciation from this album than would a member of the general audience. The level of enjoyment you get out of some of the songs on the album may depend on the relative weight you place on pure appreciation for her skill vs appreciation for the tunes themselves. But if you're seeking song variety and versatile/masterful violin playing, this album is for you.
Overall, I found the album quite enjoyable and I hope you enjoy it as well. I suspect the songs will seem even more spectacular live on tour as Mairead tears up the stage!
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-- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE -- SPOILERS ABOVE --