Celtophilia

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Artist: Jay and Abby Michaels, The Harper and the Minstrel
CD: For A Moment

Bonnie says: Jay and Abby Michaels are accomplished harpists, exceptional vocalists, husband and wife, and freaking awesome. Together, they are The Harper and The Minstrel. Their album, For A Moment, includes traditional folk tunes, original songs in the Celtic style, and harp heavy covers of Sting and Led Zeppelin songs. No, I’m not joking, and yes, you need to hear it. Preferably now.
Written by Jay Michaels, title track For A Moment is sure to resonate with anyone who is missing Ireland, or just wishing that they could be on the cliffs of Killarney, or in a Dublin pub, instead of wherever they are. I love the harp and the flute in this song, the instrumental interlude is fantastic. The lyrics are appealing, and altogether this is one of the best original Celtic themed songs that I have heard in a while. Also, when Jay and Abby harmonize it makes me happy.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic is my favorite track from the CD. I would buy the album for the sake of that cover even if every other song on it sucked eggs, which is decidedly NOT the case. That’s an even bigger compliment than shows on the surface when coming from me, because I am very hard on people who cover songs that I am bonkers for. (Dixie Chicks, I will never forgive you for what you did to Landslide. Never ever.) Anyway. I’m smitten with Abby’s voice, and it’s beautiful, rich tone is displayed to perfection on this recording.
Track number twelve is a short but soothing and tranquil instrumental that gets more pleasing every time I play it. I would love to tell you why it’s called The Rustic Duck, but I haven’t got the foggiest idea.
Lately it seems like a good bit of my complaining and moaning is because of production issues. Well guess what, that’s all I have to complain about here. On Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, as well as a couple of other tracks, there are some breath into the mic sounds that slightly tarnish what is otherwise a stellar smorgasbord for the ears. Of course it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the album, as the content more than transcends those peccadillos, but I did notice it from time to time.
The Harper and The Minstrel has a whimsical twist and an irrepressible joie de vivre that sets them both apart from and above the average. For A Moment is a smashing good CD, whether you are a fan of Celtic music, Sting, or Led Zeppelin. Playing it too often does have it’s hazards, though. You may find yourself listening to the radio afterwards and thinking - where’s the harp at? There should definitely be more harp on this station. I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more harp! Oh well, what’s life without a little risk, eh?
**After I finished writing, it occurred to me that I ought to mention that some of the songs have political and religious content, as music often does. Personally, I would rather listen to something that an artist is passionate about, that I disagree with, than insipid tunes that are guaranteed to never offend anyone. Unless there is lyrical content that I find seriously disturbing, I stick to reviewing the music, not the message. I realize that not everyone shares my philosophy, so this is your standard disclaimer.

Mike declarifies: Well, I guess by now my general dislike for the harp as an instrument is fairly well-known, but I have some happy news.  Jay and Abby Michaels have come up with some interesting new ways to make noise with Ireland’s national symbol.  My usual complaint is that the harp is simply not dynamic enough, or perhaps that harpists themselves are not generally dynamic enough.  Either way, throw that argument out the window.  There is a lot more than a weak background tinkling going on here, and it’s pretty fantastic.  Add to that their two solid voices, skills with guitar, flute, pennywhistle, and even a bowed psaltery, and you’ve got some great stuff going on.
There are some awesome traditional songs on this CD, led by beautiful performances of “The Fields of Athenry,” and “The Rustic Duck.”  I honestly can’t say how fans of Sting or Led Zeppelin might react to the respective covers presented here, because I’m not wild about either of the original performers myself.  I would advise letting Bonnie’s reactions be your guide in this case.  Of the four original songs present on “For A Moment,” all are good, well-thought songs which take advantage of the duo’s strengths, and it’s hard to ask for more than that.  The title track stands out to me, though, as the best of the bunch.  I have a feeling that it will hit home with pretty much everyone.

More info about The Harper and The Minstrel can be found on their website, which of course is www.theharperandtheminstrel.com, and you can get your very own copy of For A Moment over at CD Baby.

Stay tuned to Celtophilia this week, because we have an interview with Jay and Abby in the works. Bonnie fell in love with these guys right from the beginning, and set up some good questions for the band, and they knocked the ball out of the park with the answers.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 12th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Contemporary Celtic Reviews, Traditional Celtic Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.