Reviewed by David Bain

Can you combine Scottish/Celtic music and dance music? Well that is just what The Seanachaidh have tried to do. The 11 tracks on this CD, which include two remixes, are dance or have a bassy vibe. Over the top of the beat is a mixture of fiddles, Irish pipes, whistles, and heavy guitar sounds. Sammy Homer and a host of other obviously talented musicians play the many different kinds of instruments, but there seems to be either too much happening on some tracks or the wrong kind of instruments on others. Another problem is the dance beat sounds a touch dated while the pumping rhythm is often pushed into the background by all the other instruments. The lyrics are written very well and I am touched by a lot of the words and expressions. Unfortunately, I am disappointed when I hear them on the album. Often the words are lost in the music. However, there are some parts that I do enjoy. The tracks "The Seanachaidh" with its angelic sounding chorus and "The Devil's Own", mixing young school children's voices with a driving rhythm are both very creative and well thought out. Overall, the idea of combining traditional sounds with modern ones is a great idea but, in this case, not one that has worked very well.

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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