CD REVIEWS FOR DECEMBER/JANUARY 2007
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
ENTER THE HAGGIS Soapbox Heroes
There will be a lot of Haggis entering at Hogmanay and all the many Robbie Burns celebrations over the next few months.
Enter The Haggis is just the five fellows who keep haggis celebrations lively. These Torontonians have made quite a living on the road, building up a formidable fan base that seems to grow with every outing.
Their music has a Celtic base but it's also a fusion of Latin, jazz and folk. The CD has been produced by Neil Dorfsman, who has worked with the likes of Sting, Dylan, Dire Straits and Paul McCartney.
There is a conglomeration of instruments that gives this CD it's unique Celtic sound. It would be great kilt swinging and haggis eating music for the holidays.
Musicians are Brian Buchanan on vocals, fiddle, piano, keyboards and guitars; Trevow Lewington on vocals and guitars; Craig Downie on vocals, highland bagpipe, whistle and harmonica; Mark Abraham on bass, mandolin and vocals; and James Campbell on drums and percussion. For more information visit: www.myspace.com/enterthehaggis
GREAT BIG SEA Courage & Patience & Grit
Great Big Sea have just released their new album Courage & Patience & Grit and it's just in time for Christmas gift giving to yourself and to your friends.
The album is rich with all the Great Big Sea favourites and really captures the uplifting spirit and revelry of a Great Big Sea party. Alan Doyle, Sean McCann and Bob Hallett have packed theatres from New York to Winnipeg, Vancouver and Atlanta, Saskatoon to San Francisco - even selling out venues as far south as Texas and North Carolina.
This release celebrates the culmination of the bands relentless year-long North America tour in support of The Hard And The Easy, their ninth release that has sold over 80,000 copies in Canada.
Their bus crashed just as they were on their way into Vancouver on their tour concert, but it didn't stop these lads, who in true Newfoundland spirit, went on to give a great concert, joke and make light of their accident.
Courage & Patience & Grit is built around two different acts, one part is the folk and the other is from the band's more pop-oriented repertoire. Altogether, there are 26 tracks on the album.
Some of the tacks include: Old Polina; Captain Kidd; Sweet Forget Me Not; Concerning Charlie Horse; The Night Pat Murphy Died; Danny Boy; General Taylor, Mari-Mac Fortune Set to name a few.
Old and new Great Big Sea fans will love this album available in all fine record stores everywhere. For more information, visit: www.warnermusic.ca.
TRIBUTE ALBUM FEATURING
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Yes! Let's hear it for
John Allan Cameron
Yes indeed let's hear it for John Allan Cameron. Considered by many to be the godfather of Celtic music in Canada, he passed away November 22 of bone marrow cancer. He was 67.
Born in Mabou, Cape Breton on December 16, 1938, Cameron started his musical career at age 12 by playing guitar at local dances. He appeared on Singalong Jubilee and Ceilidh, and had his own series on CTV and CBC after the ordained Roman Catholic priest received a papal dispensation in 1964 so he could become a performer. He also released 10 albums and played around the world.
I am sure everyone has their own special memories of John Allan as he was affectionately known, but mine will always be of him singing, Lord of The Dance, Sound the Pibrock and The Gaelic Song.
He was a great ambassador for Canada and received the Order of Canada in 2003. Cameron didn't always think that he would be one of Cape Breton's most prominent musical ambassadors, nor that he would blaze a trail of success for other East Coast artists. The Canadian Celtic folk world has lost a great ambassador and a true gentleman.
Let's Hear it for John Allan Cameron is a wonderful collection of 40 songs on two CDs - a tribute to John Allen by his musician friends who loved and cherished his talent.
The Celtic musicians on this album read like a who's who in the Canadian Celtic music world. They include: Ashley MacIsaac; Ron Hynes; Sandy MacIntyre; Jimmy Rankin; Bobby Curtola; Gordie Sampson; Blue Rodeo; The Cottars; Bruce Guthro; Mary Jane Lamond; Natalie and Buddy MacMaster; The Barra MacNeils; Great Big Sea; Leahy; Rita MacNeil; John McDermot; Denis Ryan, and many many more.
This album is definately one for posterity and a keeper for future generations. For more information, visit: www.greatcanadianpromotions.com.
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