Review - Celtic Woman - Songs From The Heart
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Artist: Celtic Woman
CD: Songs From The Heart
Celtic Woman is a group now comprised of vocalists Lisa Kelly, Choe Agnew, Lynn Hilary, and Alex Sharpe along with violinist Mairead Nesbitt. The group was made popular by thousands of showings on PBS stations across the country. In fact, that’s how I first became familiar with Celtic Woman a few years ago. The CD, Songs From the Heart, showcases Celtic Woman’s take on several well known and traditional songs including “Fields of Gold”, “Amazing Grace”, “Nil Sen La”, “My Lagan Love”, “When You Believe” (The Prince of Egypt), “The New Ground/Isle of Hope”, “The Coast of Galicia”, “Non C’e Piu”, “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress”, “You’ll Be In My Heart” (Tarzan), “Goodnight My Angel”, and “Galway Bay.” “The Lost Rose Fantasia” and “O, America” are two Celtic Woman originals.
I’ve really enjoyed listening to this CD today…so many times I completely lost count. Now I skip over a couple of songs (”When You Believe”-from The Prince of Egypt and “You’ll Be In My Heart”-from Tarzan) because I’ve heard other versions of them a little too frequently on my son’s MP3 player. “Fields of Gold” is a cover of the song Sting made popular and I still prefer his over this one…probably because of familiarity. Bagpipes and “Amazing Grace” go hand in hand. Add beautiful voices, piano, and drums for an obvious winner. My boys were singing along and really enjoyed it as well. I really liked Lisa’s voice in “The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress.” Very pretty. I’ve listened to many different renditions of “Galway Bay” and I have to say that Chloe did an excellent job and hers is now my favorite.
My favorite song on this CD has to be “Nil Se’n La”. I loved the violin reels, drums, and lively tempo. It’s disappointing that I’ll never be able to learn all the words and sing along with the pristine voices (I looked all over the internet and couldn’t find the correct lyrics). Maybe I’ll just have to settle for dancing…that should work, right? I’m sure the neighbors would prefer dancing over my singing anyway.
If you prefer watching Celtic Woman instead of just listening, there is a DVD (Songs From the Heart-Live at Powerscourt House & Gardens) that aired on PBS as part of the network’s quarterly pledge drive. Better than that, why don’t you check out the tour schedule and go see these girls in person! With shows planned from Washington to Florida and New Hampshire to California, there’s a chance they’ll be at a town near you within the next several months. If you want to hear a new, satisfying twist on some familiar songs, I recommend the CD Songs From the Heart by Celtic Woman.
Slainte,
Julie
