Celtic Women - Various Artists
The world music specialists at Putumayo have been bringing global sounds to the American market for nearly 30-years now and Gaelic music has been one of their favorite genres since the very beginning. Here they present a 10-song compilation featuring female vocalists from Ireland, Scotland and the U.S.A. The set begins with the fiddle-driven bright pop of "Take You Home," a cheery, sung-in-English cut from Scotland's Emily Smith; fellow Scot Karen Matheson's "Ca Na Dh'fhag Thu M'fichead Gini" on the other hand is sung in dialect, and while beautifully rendered it is not cheery, perhaps reflecting that the song is based on a traditional women's work song. The scene switches to Ireland for Cara Dillon's somewhat eerie "Hill of Thieves" where she also plays flute, and for "Spanish Lady" from the sister duo of Maighread and Triona Ni Dhomhnaill where the sound will be very familiar to fans of Irish folk music. As to the American performers, Rebecca Pidgeon and Rose Laughlin update traditional Scottish folk songs, "Fhear a Bhata" and "Wild Mountain Thyme" respectively while Cathy Ryan also covers a Scottish tune, the sad and reflective Dougie MacLean cut "Garden Valley." This collection is for the quite times of your St. Patrick's Day; if you're going to spend the occasion whooping it up and drinking, this set is perfect for staying in the mood while you come back to reality.