Tús Nua
Gael Linn CEFCD 210
1. Spailpín Fánach; 2. Jimmy Giblin's, The Gneevgullia Reel, The Casagh Reel; 3. Slan agus Beannacht; 4. The Frost is all Over, The Mouse in the Cupboard; 5. Dobbyn's Flowery Vale; 6. Tús Nua; 7. Easter Snow; 8. The Laddie with the Pladdie; 9. Casadh an tSúgain; 10. Joe Ryan's Mazurka, Buckley's Fancy, The Laurel Tree; 11. The Ploughboy; 12. The Girls from the Gatehouse, James Murray's, The Laughing Spoons; 13. Over the Mountain; 14. The Bullock on the Bonnet, The Leitrim Thrush, Murray's No.1Oh dear - I really wish they hadn't sent me this to review! I was quite excited, for a moment, to receive a Gael Linn CD that had been recorded this year rather than in the 1960s ... but the excitement didn't last past the first minute of playing it.
I believe I have said, several times in these page, that the purpose of singing and playing is to communicate. To communicate meaning and feelings in songs, and excitement in playing - put simply, I want to hear some passion in a performance. All I get from Gatehouse is 'isn't this a pretty song/tune, and listen to our accuracy.'
To give you an example that provides both some of the singing and of the playing, here's the first half of track 11 The Ploughboy. The following verses are delivered in exactly the same way. Do you hear any meaning or feeling in this song - any excitement in the playing?
Gael Linn started making records in the 1950s - honestly, it doesn't sound as if they've learned anything in the following 50-odd years.
Rod Stradling - 13.7.16
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