It's as simple as this: if you're already a big-time Celtic Woman fan, especially if you really dig the show's original harpist (that would be Orla Fallon, of course), you're in for a treat. You'll adore this sweet and gentle selection of Celtic-influenced pop lullabies. If, on the other hand, Celtic Woman leaves you unimpressed (at best) or downright irritated (at worst), Distant Shore will not convert you. Heck, it might even solidify your dislike of the phenomenon, because it's a pretty concentrated dose of the same.
Fan of Celtic Woman?
Do you like soft, classic-sounding melodies sung by a plaintive mezzo-soprano? Do you love the juxtaposition of plunking Celtic harp and dancing fiddles with classical-pop orchestrations? Do you absolutely adore lyrics that brim with sentimentality and unapologetic romance? If you answered yes, then have I got a CD for you! Orla Fallon is, as a matter of plain fact, a great singer and masterful harpist, and if you're familiar with, and a fan of, her work with Celtic Woman, this CD is likely pretty much what you'd expect, and you'll likely really enjoy it. The songs are mostly about love, with a couple of songs of home thrown in for good measure. About nine out of the 13 tracks could easily be a song for a first dance at a wedding, or played during a video montage at an engagement dinner, or any other number of romantic occasions, and if you're a sucker for love, it'll fit in just as well while you're riding in your car. If you like things just a touch sappy and with an easy-breezy sound, you're all set.
... or Perhaps not so Much?
Does Celtic Woman secretly make you want to sew your ears shut? Does traditional Irish music aurally airbrushed to within an inch of its life sound like fingernails on a chalkboard to you? Do the songs of Diane Warren or the overall style of Josh Groban make you just want to give up on the musical tastes of the majority of the Western world? If yes, then you're after my own (three sizes too small) heart, and let me save you an hour of your life that you'll never get back: do not, under any circumstances, listen to Distant Shore. Don't listen to song clips on the internet, don't plug it into a listening station at a record store... just don't do it. Make a special point of avoiding the tracks "Dancing in the Moonlight" and "Simple Love," lest you lose your lunch. You know that feeling you get when you eat cake that's been made with too much cheap frosting? The tickly scritchy sensation that feels like grains of sugar are invading your tonsils? And the only thing you can think of is, "Yuck! Too sweet!" Well, I had the same reaction to this CD.
I won't argue that Distant Shore is well-made and well-produced. I won't argue that Orla Fallon is a great musician. If you're into flowery ooey-gooey stuff, you'll love it. But for my taste, it's just entirely too sweet.
Distant Shore was released in September 2009 on Green Hill Records. Playing time is 52.9 minutes.
I won't argue that Distant Shore is well-made and well-produced. I won't argue that Orla Fallon is a great musician. If you're into flowery ooey-gooey stuff, you'll love it. But for my taste, it's just entirely too sweet.
Distant Shore was released in September 2009 on Green Hill Records. Playing time is 52.9 minutes.
