Why do you love your favourite CW-Lady('s)?

[Kevin R.I.]

Fair enough-----your`re correct that you can`t comment on Lynn and Alex if you haven`t had the opportunity to see them yet.....and as mentioned in another post,they didn`t really "replace" anyone.they`re their own people and in my opinion are   wonderful new additions to CW.When you finally get to enjoy them in concert, I really think you`ll be very pleased.

[shankdee]

   Looking forward to it...so far...the only confirmed ticket I have is RED ROCKS...
but who knows...I get out of school June 14...and will soon head to the US of A...and will be planning my strategy to
catch up with C W along the Way...

Shankdee

[Scott]

I have come to adore all of the ladies, for different reasons... but my favorite has been and always will be Chloe.  She spoke to my heart in a way that no one else ever has before.  When I first heard her sing, I was listening to "Walking In the Air" from the Helix CD that I had purchased.  I whispered "Oh my god."  I had never heard something so beautiful before, nor expected to ever hear something so beautiful.  My admiration for her singing and performing has only grown over the years.  I've said it once before that Chloe's singing is less ART than it is TRUTH.  You can feel the truth in Chloe's songs.  You can feel the magic.

But, that's NOT the real reason that I adore Chloe.  It's something else, something that I have long ago posted in the old CW Forum and in other CW-related Forums, something that maybe some of you have read over the years but that many of you might not have... I'll post it again here since it's entirely on topic.  The following is a very personal story. This story has nothing to do with music. It has everything to do with caring.

___________


After I had experienced the euphoria of finding Chloe's music, I wanted to learn more about her, as she was now my very favorite singer. A few web searches finally uncovered the Celtic Woman website, which had biographies of the ladies. I began to read Chloe's biography.

Now I must cast back some years. During my first year of teaching, one of my students, named Derek, improved incredibly under my direction. As his last class session ended, I walked near him as he was getting out of his chair to leave. He extended his hand to me and said, "Mr. Taylor, you changed my life." I just stopped and said "No, Derek. You did, but I'm glad I was there to see it." He gave me the most satisfied smile that I have ever seen.

That evening, though, the enormity of it began to strike me. I sat at the edge of my bed and cried. I couldn't help it. I felt like I was a part of something much bigger than myself; it was the most spiritual moment of my life. In a personal sense, I felt that any and all failures and failings in my life had been vindicated. In the months and years to come I told many people about what he had said to me, but no one seemed to see it in the same light as I did. After a while I began to believe no one else in this entire world ever could.

Over the years I often thought about Derek, especially when I wondered why I was going to the trouble of staying in the teaching profession when there were other things that I could do. Each time that I recalled that day, a tear came into my eye, and I felt humbled, and knew that this was a more than worthy path to follow.

So, as I read the last paragraph of Chloe's biography, it was mentioned that she received many letters from childen, including one girl who had experienced a difficult childhood but had been inspired by Chloe's music to join the choir. The girl's mother had written to say that Chloe had changed her daughter's life. When I read this, I stopped reading, and forgot for the moment about Chloe and thought of Derek, so many years earlier, and those words he had told me. And as I remembered, a tear again rolled down my cheek. I thought to myself, "I know what it means to make such a difference, and I guess Chloe does too." Then I looked back again at the last two sentences of Chloe's biography, which I will never forget as long as I live: "That’s when the hard work and blood, sweat and tears don’t matter. When you know that you’ve done that for one person’s life, it brings you to tears.”

As I read it, I wiped the tears from my own eyes and said aloud "Her, too!" I couldn't believe it, I literally stared at my computer monitor for several seconds. Not only had she experienced the same situation as I had, but she had had the exact same reaction as I had. I had always known that many other people have changed the lives of others, but I had begun to believe that I was the only one who had ever been personally humbled by it - I had believed that I was the only one who viewed it as more than just 'all in a day's work.' Now I knew that at least one other person in this world had felt exactly the same as I had. That night, Chloe Agnew ceased to be just my favorite singer; she became the one celebrity in this world that I might someday care to meet, someone who is a real human being, someone who really is, deep down inside, just like me.

Forum members, thank you for indulging me, and allowing me to bare a part of my soul.

[Kevin R.I.]

nice post Scott, I think everyone would agree that when you get to see Chloe in concert, she has a certain "radience".I noticed at the end when each comes out individually to take a bow. the house "came down" for Chloe.....everyone just loves her so much....and Shankdee,I DO hope you get to see them soon. I know how much Meav means to you---I`ve always loved her ,too. She has a certain "majestic elegence" ,like she should always be dressed in a gown even in her leisure hours. But getting back to Lynn and Alex,I too was wondering what they would be like,knowing  that Lynn would be singing the "Irishy stuff"as she once described on PBS. ....and having listened to the"seaweed song" a thousand times, you know how it`s SUPPOSED to sound.....well,to me it sounded"just right",exactly the way I wanted it. I think you`ll feel the same way when you see them.

[Enchanted]

Scott,
Your post brought a tear to my eye too.  How humble of you to give the credit back to Derek for changing his own life and allowing you to be part of it.  Inspiring.

It seems to me that all of the Celtic Woman performers seem to come to the stage with a gracious humility that inspires us to be better people.  That is one of the many reasons why I love them all.

[Kevin R.I.]

Yes, and as I`ve mentioned in the past,they THANK the audience and applaud them with outstreched arms(withMairead wiggling her fiddle bow pointed at the audience).What a gracious gesture.

[lisalover7 (LL7)]

Lisa is my favourite because she has this quality I have never seen in anyone before. Her smile makes me smile. And I have never once even thought of crying during a song and when I heard her sing live I got very emotional and understood how she has that ability. There is also the joy on her face that I saw when I watched ANJ on PBS and there was this moment in Caledonia where I just went WOW! She makes me melt every time I hear her sing You Raise Me Up, both in ANJ DVD and in the Celtic Woman CD version. I don't think anyone can every instil in me what she has.

My number two is Mairead because she is the most vivacious on stage. I love her cheekiness, and the fact that she plays ridiculously well and dances while wearing high heels blows my mind.  

[Kevin R.I.]

To those of you that have attended a CW concert, have you noticed this? You  start talking to the people around you (who were complete strangers when you got there) and everyone starts telling each other who their favorite is?  I noticed (at least where I saw them) the answer was ALWAYS  Mairead and......(fill in the blank).Of course everyone knows I`m not biased towards any particularCW (yeah,right).The people next to me said "we like Mairead and Lisa", I said for me it`s Mairead and Chloe(though after watching the show ,I could easily fit Alex in there ,too.)But it always was Mairead and.....

[shankdee]

  From Scott's Post: Mr. Taylor, you changed my life." I just stopped and said "No, Derek. You did, but I'm glad I was there to see it." He gave me the most satisfied smile that I have ever seen.

This for many of us in the teaching profession is MORE than all the salaries combined we could ever make....being able to have that kind of influence over one person, or for that matter, those you DID or HAVE touched but you never get the feedback like Derek gave Scott that day. It is such a wonderful association between Chloe's statement and Scott's experience-and how deep our love and appreciation for these fine singers does go. When I first watched Chloe's interivew there with her tutors, and you know she has to be bright, I wished I could have her as a student and thought what an asset she would be to any classroom. I wrote to Chloe that evening a short note about being a student, and I assume she is now a graduate. She also described when everyone else got to go to the pool, or shopping, she was there with her books and studies!Kevin, you are really getting to know me,I guess everytime we post we leave a little of ourselves in print. Yes, I think the world of ALL of these singers and AM LOOKING forward to Alex and Lynn ...everyone has been so positive about them.BUT I am a Meav fan through and through...I play her albums in the car and at work I always imagine her in a church with stained glass windows,or in a recording studio, or at her beautiful home with Tom and Anna  or with her parents, or studying law while sorting out her classical and traditional music choices. My brother-in-law made us turn the channel when they were on PBS, but before he did he said Meav ,wearing  her Mermaid Dress was the most beautiful woman he had seen and that Dress was something else and then he went on and on about her, but still made us
change the channel, and then my sister told me that Chloe was her favorite and was a genuine, true singer that she could listen to sing any time. So I am making a little headway with my family, and CW will be sooooo Near to them in Santa Barbara...Scott and Kevin thanks for the POSTS...

shankdee

[Kevin R.I.]

Shankdee-----the Gaelic Goddess is to you as theFiddle Fairy is to me.But sometimes I feel guilty in having a favorite,like you`re slighting the others and you might hurt their feelings. I think the answer is to say your favorite CW is Maireadchloelisalynnalexmeavorlahayleydeidre.Sure it`s hard to pronounce but you can try passing it off that you`re speaking Irish(Gaelic). Everyone-----don`t forget to offer birthday wishes to Alex(Monday) and Lisa(Thursday).

[shankdee]

That is an excellent idea  sort of like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.......I love it...

Love all of them, of course, in fact I can name more of the other's songs, I told Howard, than Meav's ...and the voting is going really well on Silver Sea Album...I have been up all night, it is dawn now, I joined facebook and posted CW posters that I made...my cousin saw me on there and sent a message," I really appreciate your enthusiam for this group!" But another friend from Boston saw me on there and said, "they are a bit of an overkill here-they are on all the time"...etc..
she doesn't have OCCWD of course, because we would LOVE it if they were on all the time!!!

Ok, I will send the birthday Greetings...I usually write to Lisa every so often on her Green and yellow Guest Book Site, and
I belong to her Fan Club as Well asw Chloe's Forum and Meav's of course, and I LOVED the transcript of Orla's chat...I basically follow them all.

shankdee

[Kevin R.I.]

I know at times I get a bit defensive over Lynn and Alex, not realizing that not all CW fans have had an opportunity to get to know them yet.After seeing them I can say I`m sure everyone will love them as we love the others.Just look up at their images on your screen right now....and they sing as fantastic as they look. Tell that friend in Boston that weCW fans will track her down and find her....just kidding.

[shankdee]

   I know, when people say something like that, it is like they said something about your family.  I just sent
Lisa's birthday greeting in her guest book, and I will do Alex's also, thanks for staying after me on this.

Shankdee       

[MaryNorth93]

All the ladies are essential and fantastic.. but Lisa is my personal favorite. Her voice is beautiful, lovely, and agreeing with David Downes warm and rich. No words can discribe it. Especially in the Christmas Show she is a joy to watch and hear.

The criticals says: Lisa BELIEVES what she is singing. And I can only agree with them. If she sings I feel it like she is talking to you.. In Caledonia: let me tell you that I love you... From all her solo's is that my favorite. If I hear it.. I just want to say to her: 'may I come with you, please?'

She shares the place together with Maíréad. I just adore her... A fiddle player who is full of life, and elegant and beautiful at the same time. A good example is Shenandoah - Reels. First elegance and emotion, and than she jumps and plays with so much fun 

Órlagh could be a celtic woman from the old ages. I love her haunting and mystical voice. And Méav with her Irish voice.. The Celtic Songbird  Dulàman and Si Do Mhameo I are very cool. And Chloë's young and lovely look.. she just owns Nella Fantasia, Walking in the Air and Someday.

From Alex and Lynn I've heard less.. Lynn's album is stunning. But I would like to hear more from them. And seeing them live... someday  The greatest power of Celtic Woman is I think, 5/6 totally different woman and voices, a harmony together

[shankdee]

   That was beautifully stated...each singer is unique with something entirely her own to offer....and yet the combo power of all of them together is almost indescribeable...it is CW  forever for me...all of them.
I just went to Brad's site and watched them sing "Danny Boy" so I could watch Lynn and Alex and they sang so beautifully also...David always knows what he is doing when it comes to arranging the songs, and  the voices- he is the man!!!

shankdee