Reviewed by Sammy Horner

  I really wanted to like this album…I really did.  It had almost all the right ingredients with pipes and whistles and stuff but then you read the song titles and only 50 per cent of them are actually Irish…I mean there has got to be more than six Irish inspirational songs on the go!  So, already annoyed before I even play the thing, I give it a whirl, still wanting to like it.  Alas, like our editor in the last issue of CR, I am weary of this kind of thing and I guess I do speak with a little bit of experience here.  This is, like many other so called Irish/Celtic projects, just another leap on the already creaky back of the band wagon.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m no purist when it comes to Celtic music and I’d be the first to agree that a well played set of pipes can add a beautiful dimension to many a tune, but Celtic Christianity and spirituality had a particular theme and a particular world view, and as far as I understand it, it was aimed much wider than the coffee house or elevator music.  No surprises at all here.  Actually, that’s not entirely true.  The production was a surprise – the acoustic guitar is too loud, the pipe drones are so sterile that they might as well be a keyboard MIDI sample, and the pipes themselves are, well, not very good.  Again I speak with some sympathy, pipes and whistles being the most infuriating instruments when it comes to tuning and pitch, particularly in the studio, but the whistle is flatter than a hermit’s address book in several songs.  As far as Celtic music goes, not one single new idea emerges on this album.  As far as content goes, Pamplin, look harder – two albums full of Irish hymns have been released Christmas before last – all Irish!  When you consider many fine Celtic musicians, singers and songwriters are Christians, this kind of stuff just leaves me wondering what these A&R men are trying to do!  It’s hard to believe that the CCM and the worship market have been content with this sad and depressing view of the heritage of the great Celtic church.  C’mon, what about the themes of trinity, creation, culture, community, art and a holistic spirituality coming through more in our worship?  Now that’s what I’d call Celtic!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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