'Celtic Music that touches the heart, mind & soul' - Flagstaff Live Featuring contralto Nancy Johnston, driving guitar, bass, & Bohdran, soaring whistles, flutes, bagpipes, four-part harmony & world instruments with Grammy nominated engineer Scott Fraser.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (43:43) !
Related styles: WORLD: Celtic, FOLK: Celtic Fusion

People who are interested in The Chieftains Solas Gaelic Storm should consider this download.


Details:
With this third album, from hill & hoolie, Craicmore continues a journey that started over a decade ago in the pubs and clubs of Los Angeles, California, and has in recent years taken them across the United States, and as far away as Alaska and China.

Arrangements and ideas are drawn, as always, from far and wide. Even the jigs and reels that comprise any standard Celtic repertoire are put through the cultural blender with such elements as singer Nancy Johnston's rhythmic hardshoe dancing, and guitarist John MacAdams' didjeridoo and exotic percussion. The eccentric song and tune set mixes that have become a Craicmore trademark have never been better, most obvious on the album opener "Rocky Road To Dublin," colored with haunting backing vocals and counter-rhythms, culminating in a glorious pair of slip jigs.

Johnston sings beautifully on songs in three languages, including Irish on a bouncy version of the traditional "Cunla," and Mandarin on a delicate Chinese folk song, "Crescent Moon." Her big voice is at times vulnerable as on "Star of the County Down," at others powerful and driving, and yet she is able to hit a deeply reflective mood in "Streets of Sorrow."

New bassist Sean Faye-Cullen forms a solid rhythm section with MacAdams. His inventive and complimentary bass lines bring a sonic depth and contemporary life to the music.

The instrumentals are in the capable hands of Dave Champagne, melodic and powerful on a variety of pipes, flutes and whistles, the latter particularly on a show-stopping highland bagpipe tune, "Dark Isle/Glasgow City Police."

The album's production values are heightened through collaborations with the talents of Grammy nominated mix engineer Scott Fraser, the fiddle of Chicago's Kathleen Keene, and guest appearances from former members Bryan Ogihara and Dave Soyars on bouzouki and bass respectively.

Producer and musical director MacAdams says of from hill & hoolie "I feel so fortunate to have been working with extraordinarily talented musicians, a Grammy nominated mix and mastering engineer and musical arrangements that have been honed to a silky sheen through years of performance. This is certainly our most sophisticated and adventuresome outing to date."

On stage or in the studio, the members of Craicmore always endeavor to bring a sense of adventure to the music of the Celtic lands, combining the artistry of tradition with the excitement of the modern day. from hill & hoolie continues the movement forward while looking to the past for continued inspiration.