Category Archives: Music

Abigail Lapell’s Anniversary

I haven’t closely followed Canadian singer-songwriter and indie folk artist Abigail Lapell, but I very much enjoyed her earlier album Getaway. Her emotionally direct but never overwrought lyrics, sturdy melodies, her unique voice and superb guitar fingerpicking style all added … Continue reading

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SixMileBridge’s Across the Water

SixMileBridge is something of an odd bird. Oh, I’ve come across Celtic and traditional bands before that use old tunes, or their own material crafted to mimic the traditional styles, and attempt to rock it up with a traditional sound. … Continue reading

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Smithfield Fair’s Highland Call

Completely unfamiliar with Smithfield Fair, I had no idea what to expect on Highland Call, apart from the vague notion that this was some type of contemporary Scottish band whose music may or may not have absorbed some of the … Continue reading

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Smithfield Fair’s Winds of Time

Most traditional bands — be they Celtic, Scottish or any variation on the acoustic folk motif — tend to rely heavily on the tried and true for their musical repertoire. How many times has “Black is the Color” or “Scotland … Continue reading

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Smithfield Fair’s Burns Night Out!

Mike Stiles wrote this review. Hailing from Louisiana here in the States, Smithfield Fair is an innovative trad-based Scottish trio with an energetic pub style. For this CD they put on their best Broad Scots in homage to the immortal … Continue reading

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A John O’Regan omnibus review: Celtic music with an international flavor

Loscoe State Opera’s All Begins Again (Anew Day, 2004) Sligo Rags’ The Night Before The Morning After (Celtic Music, 2005) Pipeline’s Pipeline (R2/Rel, 2003) Grada’s Endeavour (Compass, 2004) Smithfield Fair’s Swept Away (Stevenson Productions, 2005) Celtic Offspring’s Miss Gnomer (Celtic … Continue reading

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Leli’s Da Vo Gornitse

You know what a “remix” is, right? It’s where a producer embellishes an existing piece of recorded music, usually by adding sounds, beats and effects created by electronics in the studio, to turn it into electronic dance music. Every time … Continue reading

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Zor’s Sukha-khur and Zor with Evgenii Tkachev’s Kukushechka EP

One of the participants in the 2024 Russian World Music Chart is Suukha-hur the third album by Buryat musician Zorigto Batotsyrenov (stage name Zor). The album is named after a musical instrument featured in this release. The suukha–khur is one … Continue reading

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The Waterboys’ A Rock In The Weary Land

No’am Newman wrote this review. Oh No’am, I know you’re disappointed with this disc; I know that you were expecting The Waterboys of Whole Of The Moon and Fisherman’s Blues and instead you got something else. But it’s not my … Continue reading

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The Scottish Power Pipe Band’s Cathcart, and Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band’s The Calling

There exist in the piping world today two kinds of Scottish pipe bands: those that play by the rules of repertoire and those that have an adventurous streak. This review highlights one very ambitious pipe band open to contemporary sound … Continue reading

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