By Jamie O’Brien
Orla Fallon
Lore
Singer and harpist Orla Fallon first gained attention as a member of Anuna and later, the Celtic Woman project. Since leaving Celtic Woman, she has released a number of albums, but none quite as superb as this.
The dozen tracks are, in the main, standards from the Celtic songbook, including some well-worn classics, along with some lesser heard pieces. But throughout, she manages to make each track sound fresh, incorporated in her own inimitable style.
Opening with “Siuil a Run,” her vocals talents are at the fore — a gentleness, combined with depth to make her sound so enjoyable — matched by excellent harp playing. This high standard is maintained throughout. Twelve or so instruments accompany her, all but one performed by producer, David Shea: everything from guitars to pipes to keyboards and more. The additional musician is violinist, David Davidson.
“Do You Love An Apple” opens with a delightful picked guitar, joined by the harp. And then she brings in her singing — this is not the raucous version one often hears, but she uses a resigned, mournful approach and it works to perfection. Even an old chestnut like “Galway Bay” is given a new lease on life. Fallon runs the gamut from the near-schmaltzy to traditional (“Baidin Fheilimi”) to majestic (“The Parting Glass”) and succeeds in all variants of the style. The only non-Celtic song is Bill Staines’ classic, “Roseville Fair,” which is given a tremendous arrangement where Fallon has such a purring, tender voice.
I’ve enjoyed the music of Orla Fallon a great deal over the years, but feel this is the best work she has ever produced. It really appeals to me. When I play the CD, my computer screen tells me this is “new age” music. No. Not for me. This falls firmly into the “Irish traditional music” category — the softer end, but ITM all the same. Wonderful!
orlafallon.com
Dirk Powell
When I Wait For You
I first came across Dirk Powell when he was touring as part of Balfa Toujours, a wonderful Cajun band he helped form. Since then, he has cropped up in much of the music I like: as an instrumentalist (he plays fiddle and banjo among other instruments), he produces and he writes songs. Starting with Appalachian music, his career has included Cajun, Celtic and much, much more over time and he’s played with such musicians as Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton and Joan Baez. Quite a diversity of experiences!
He wrote 12 of the 13 songs on When I Wait For You and includes “The Silk Merchant’s Daughter,” a traditional ballad he arranged with Donald Shaw of Capercaillie. Shaw plays accordion and piano on all most of the tracks.
Among the many musicians featured are Michael McGoldrick (flute bodhran whistle) and John McCusker on fiddle. The list of instruments Powell plays is too long to mention here. Let’s just say that instrumentally, this is a superb album, with great variety and wonderful arrangements that bring out the best in the sound.
Powell has a fascinating husky, appealing voice. Whether singing a country waltz (“Let The Night Seize Me”), a Cajun (“Les Yeux de Rosalie”) or Appalachian song (“Ain’t Never Fell”) or a gentle ballad (“Say Old Playmate”), Powell is in his element, singing with great understanding and conviction.
And throughout the album, he is joined by harmony singers who offset the rough edges in his voice. These include Amelia Powell, Sophie Powell and Rhiannon Giddens. Fiddler Sara Watkins does an excellent job on the duet “The Little Things”.
I have to admit I’ve been playing this album time and time again. I love the way Powell moves easily from one genre to another, without sounding disjointed. He proves himself to be a great singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer. I look forward to seeing him perform live again one day.
www.dirkpowell.org
And now something a little different:
Cindy Combs
Slack Key Ladyland
Over the years, Cindy Combs has demonstrated what a tremendous Hawaiian slack key guitarist and singer she is. This album, over 43 minutes and 10 tracks, continues to make that point. There is a word in the Hawaiian language: “nahenahe” which translates as soft, sweet, gentle — it is used a lot with Hawaiian music and it really applies here with Combs and her style of playing.
This finger-picking style involves playing the melody, rhythm and bass all at the same time on one guitar. The result is a rich and full sound. Because of the tunings used, the range of the guitar — from low notes to high — is extended. Add idiosyncrasies like hammering on and pulling off the strings, harmonics and the like, the style evolves. Combs takes it further with a certain jazz inflection that rounds out her particular way of playing.
On this album, she includes such noted pieces as “Blue Hawaii Moonlight,” “Nani Kauai” and others that have become popular over time. On the former, along with “Haleiwa Hula,” she performs a duet with slide guitarist, Ken Emerson. The way the two musicians blend leave you wanting a longer collaboration between them — but that’s perhaps for another day.
Combs has a delightful voice and on the four songs she features here, she demonstrates a wide vocal range. She also manages to take such popular pieces as “E Kuu Morning Dew” and “Nanakuli Blues,” making them distinctly her own. I love the way she swings her way through the melody on “Nawiliwili.”
It’s been too long between album releases by Cindy Combs. I hope I don’t have to wait too long for a follow up to this one.
That’s it for this month. I hope you enjoy the music and stay safe. Get in touch if you have trouble finding any of these releases — c/o Irish Edition or by email at jamieobrienmusic@gmail.com.