 |
If you're like me, there's nothing quite so uplifting as listening to music that seems to speak directly to your soul, music that lifts you when you are down or elevates you to pinnacles of love. We all have our favorites, I'm sure. For me, for example, Enya's peaceful and soothing music many times helps buoy my spirit as I drive to work in the morning. Other times it's show tunes that grab me, and I sing along with Tom Wopat as he belts out "There's No Business Like Show Business" from "Annie Get Your Gun". Or maybe Disney tunes are your weakness (yes, that's me, too), my favorite being a recording of the music from the Spectromagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, which takes me back to a wonderfully magical week our family spent together a few years back.
Perhaps you, too, like to drive down the street with your windows open, warbling at the top of your lungs as children run in terror and small animals flee in fear for their lives. Or maybe you have a favorite CD you listen to while meditating.
If so, we would like to hear from you about music that you particularly enjoy, music that touches your spirit. We will likely discover that, in our diversity, we represent a wide variety of tastes, which is wonderful. More importantly, this will give you the chance to share those special tunes that move you, inspire you, or bring you to tears of joy as your soul touches heaven. In doing so, you will give the rest of us a chance to experience new and wonderful music.
So write us with your ideas. Everything from grand orchestral pieces to favorite TV show theme songs, genres from spiritual to secular, vocal to instrumental, we want to hear about it all. Email your submission to the Newsletter's Editor, Sharon Robbins, at srobbin1@earthlink.net for possible inclusion in the next WAVES Newsletter.
Review: The Cottars - Made in Cape Breton
by Jim Fly
 A few months ago, I happened to be listening to the Celtic channel on Internet radio, and a song came on that grabbed my attention and held me spellbound. It was a sweet song in its own right, but I was particularly taken with the voice of the female vocalist, who, though obviously young, demonstrated incredible clarity and polish.
The song was "The Briar and the Rose" by a group called The Cottars. Wondering who these guys were, I soon discovered that they consist of a teenage foursome (two brother-and-sister duos) from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, an area that has become somewhat famous as a breeding ground for great Celtic performers. The kids, ranging in age from 11 to 14 when the CD was recorded two years ago, are wonderfully talented. They sing and play traditional Celtic tunes ("trad", in the lingo), performing on piano, tin whistle, fiddle, guitar, and bodhran (Celtic drum), with some step dancing thrown in every now and then for good measure.
I of course ordered the CD, and it has proven to be one of my better music purchases in recent years. The songs range from the slow and melancholy "Two Brothers Medley" to the typically-Celtic fast and lively "Coulin / Hornpipes Medley". The CD ends with an original song by Allister MacGillivray, father to two of the group's members and a Celtic performer in his own right, called "Here's to Song", a beautiful and moving tribute to the joys of music and friendship.
The Cottars tour from time to time, and while their primary focus appears to be Canadian venues, they do visit the lower forty-eight occasionally. If you are interested in more information, including pictures, bios, and tour schedule, visit their web site at www.thecottars.com. (Be aware that the "music download" links on the page don't seem to be working; you can, however, hear excerpts from two of their songs on Allister MacGillivray's site - click on "Sounds" on the left menu, then on either of the "Download It" links.) "Made in Cape Breton" can be ordered online from Barnes and Noble or Amazon. |
|
|
