So, about two months ago, I check a DVD out of the library, entitled "CELTIC WOMAN: A NEW JOURNEY". I guess I should really begin this story at the beginning. Last December, I was shopping at NPS, looking for some inexpensive Christmas presents, when I came across two CELTIC WOMAN discs. One was entitled "A NEW JOURNEY", the other was a Christmas CD. Now, naturally, as we were deep in celebrating the birth of our Saviour, I was more than happy to open the Christmas CD. I enjoyed it, but was not familiar with the artists on the disc. Except for one. Her name? Meav Ni Mhaolchatha. C'mon, smarty pants... pronounce THAT ONE!! Meav is a singer that would put nearly every other vocalist to shame. Whether you like the (sometimes) fluffy Celtic music is one thing, but you cannot dispute the fact that she is an incredible vocalist, with her flawless control, beautiful soprano, etc. Meav was originally a soloist and singer with the Irish choir group, Anuna. Anuna was probably best known for their work on the original production of Riverdance. For those of you who want some beautiful Christmas music, check out Anuna's Christmas CD. ANYHOW (don't you hate how I seem to always get distracted?), CELTIC WOMAN...
So, the copy of "A NEW JOURNEY" was going to be gifted to a family member. Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth? Rich? I wasn't sure. Until I heard the Christmas CD. Then I was most certain... it was going to ME. How selfish! Anyhow, the amusing thing was actually hearing the disc, and not really realizing that it featured another artist that I was familiar with. That artist is Hayley Westenra. She's the "honorary" Celtic Woman. At least she was. She only seemed to do a handful of performances with the ensemble. Born and raised in New Zealand, she is another incredibly talented singer. Believe it or not, I first discovered her while browsing the hodge-podge of compact discs at... you guessed it... NPS! I was originally going to sell her disc "PURE" on half.com. Let me shamelessly plug my meager inventory on Half.com. You can visit it (maybe), at: http://shops.half.ebay.com/totally-retro_W0QQsellerZtotallyQ2eretro
Anyhow, after discovering that PURE would only sell for a couple of dollars, I decided to open it up and listen to it. After seeing that Sir George Martin (for those of you living under a rock, Sir George was the producer for The Beatles... maybe you have heard of THEM, not to mention at the control board of "ALL SHOOK UP", one of the most experimental CHEAP TRICK albums.) was involved, along with his son, Shemp Martin (okay, I forgot his name), I was definitely curious. I really enjoyed disc, in an adult contemporary vocal Pop way. She even delivered a nice cover of "Wuthering Heights", originally written and performed by KATE BUSH. Geesh, I am going into TOO MANY other details. Let's focus...
So, I enjoy "A NEW JOURNEY", and then find the DVD performance at the library. Wow. Wowee wow. Wowee wow wow. Yeah, I know it's sappy PBS material (stay tuned to KBYU, channel 11 in Provo, Utah, THIS MONTH), but it was completely engaging. Maybe it is partly due to the fact that I have been involved in choir groups, and I could truly appreciate their talents, maybe it was due to the fact that the atmosphere of this concert, recorded outside Slane Castle in Ireland (for those of you who don't know, U2 recorded "Unforgettable Fire" inside Slane Castle. Look at the album cover for a reference.). It was magical, with all the traditional Celtic instruments, a backing choir (similar to Anuna), and five wonderful vocalists. And let's not forget the on board Celtic Woman fiddler. Think "Riverdance" without the dancers. Except for Ms. Fiddler. She gets around while pounding out her songs. Around the stage. Not "gets around" in the traditional sense. Sorry, my bad.
Anyhow, here I am... two months later, with tickets to one of the University of Utah performances, and excited to be hanging out with not only my parents (two new converts), but probably every other 40-70 year old in Salt Lake City. At least those with a PBS membership of one sort or another. See you there, grannies!! Oh, and grampies!
So, the copy of "A NEW JOURNEY" was going to be gifted to a family member. Uncle Don and Aunt Ruth? Rich? I wasn't sure. Until I heard the Christmas CD. Then I was most certain... it was going to ME. How selfish! Anyhow, the amusing thing was actually hearing the disc, and not really realizing that it featured another artist that I was familiar with. That artist is Hayley Westenra. She's the "honorary" Celtic Woman. At least she was. She only seemed to do a handful of performances with the ensemble. Born and raised in New Zealand, she is another incredibly talented singer. Believe it or not, I first discovered her while browsing the hodge-podge of compact discs at... you guessed it... NPS! I was originally going to sell her disc "PURE" on half.com. Let me shamelessly plug my meager inventory on Half.com. You can visit it (maybe), at: http://shops.half.ebay.com/totally-retro_W0QQsellerZtotallyQ2eretro
Anyhow, after discovering that PURE would only sell for a couple of dollars, I decided to open it up and listen to it. After seeing that Sir George Martin (for those of you living under a rock, Sir George was the producer for The Beatles... maybe you have heard of THEM, not to mention at the control board of "ALL SHOOK UP", one of the most experimental CHEAP TRICK albums.) was involved, along with his son, Shemp Martin (okay, I forgot his name), I was definitely curious. I really enjoyed disc, in an adult contemporary vocal Pop way. She even delivered a nice cover of "Wuthering Heights", originally written and performed by KATE BUSH. Geesh, I am going into TOO MANY other details. Let's focus...
So, I enjoy "A NEW JOURNEY", and then find the DVD performance at the library. Wow. Wowee wow. Wowee wow wow. Yeah, I know it's sappy PBS material (stay tuned to KBYU, channel 11 in Provo, Utah, THIS MONTH), but it was completely engaging. Maybe it is partly due to the fact that I have been involved in choir groups, and I could truly appreciate their talents, maybe it was due to the fact that the atmosphere of this concert, recorded outside Slane Castle in Ireland (for those of you who don't know, U2 recorded "Unforgettable Fire" inside Slane Castle. Look at the album cover for a reference.). It was magical, with all the traditional Celtic instruments, a backing choir (similar to Anuna), and five wonderful vocalists. And let's not forget the on board Celtic Woman fiddler. Think "Riverdance" without the dancers. Except for Ms. Fiddler. She gets around while pounding out her songs. Around the stage. Not "gets around" in the traditional sense. Sorry, my bad.
Anyhow, here I am... two months later, with tickets to one of the University of Utah performances, and excited to be hanging out with not only my parents (two new converts), but probably every other 40-70 year old in Salt Lake City. At least those with a PBS membership of one sort or another. See you there, grannies!! Oh, and grampies!
Comments