Margaret Becker, Maire Brennan, Joanne Hogg - New Irish Hymns
STYLE: Celtic RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 3506-4368 LABEL: Kingsway KMCD2329 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £4.99
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
With so much seeming cynicism surrounding Nashville marketing of Celtic music, it is particularly pleasing to report that this album bears none of the marks of hasty Irish music bandwagon-jumping. Instead, three superlative singing talents, American veteran Catholic songstress Margaret Becker, Clannad's etherial voiced colleen Maire Brennan and the stunning voice of Iona Joanne Hogg have been gathered together by 26 year old composer, producer and conducter Keith Getty. What Keith manages to do is fit wistful, haunting melodies to words sometimes penned by the singers themselves and sometimes like with William Cowper's classic hymn "O For A Closer Walk", from an earlier era of music. The arrangements are magnificent with lush string writing perfectly integrated with pipes and whistles from Troy Donockley, lilting guitar lines from players like Phil Keaggy and Jason Carter and truly tumultuous percussion from Terl Bryant. All three sisters revel in the warmly evocative arrangements and deliver some of their best ever vocal performances. New Irish hymns indeed.
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