Trite, Banal Treatment of a Terrible History
If you are looking for Gaelic music, even in a progressive format, you won't find it in this CD, which is a pastiche of bad poetry and bad music.Several reviewers have commented on the poetry aspect of the songs - well, if you are into trite and banal rhymes, then this is the album for you. Let's see, we've got the chorus of "Southern Gael" - "Hey hey, Southern Gael, you made it through the wind and hail" repeated ad nauseum. The rest of this, with the exception of "Pain", which is a true work of Scotland, is much the same. The music, which overuses synthesizers, is typical New Age garbage - all major key, 4:4 timing - kind of like Madonna without the originality. Actually, the whole album reminds me of David Arkenstone. Wordy and pretentious The Highland Clearances were a dark and sad time, and the story deserves a better treatment than this. I suggest "Fire in the Glen" by Manus Lunny, Phil Cunningham and Andy Stewart, of "Silly Wizard" fame, not to mention "Caledonia's Hearty Sons" by the full "Silly Wizard" crew, "Anthem for the Common Man" by the very prolific "Battlefield Band", and "Real Estate" by Dougie MacLean.
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Melodius McDonald
While this CD doesn't have the impact of "Sons of Somerled," it is still more than worth a listen. McDonald illustrates his love and pride in his Scottish ancestry with every breath, bringing both pathos for the Clearances, and pride in the Scots ability to triumph in the face of adversity. McDonald's work brings unique cultural stamp of the Highlands to all corners of the world--a polar opposite to the original English intent!Bravo!
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