| | Solas CD Solas Discography of CDs
 (1 Customer Review)
Solas succeed where other Irish bands fail: They're lively without being frenetic; Karan Casey's vocals are high and clear without being ethereal or waifish; and they manage to add texture and complexity to the many traditionals they play. Their self-titled debut contains five songs (not enough!) and eight jigs, reels, and airs. The group know how to build an instrumental up to a fevered pitch, as on "The Yellow Tinker/Cranking Out/Master Crowley's #2," which creates fantasy swirls of accordion and fiddle before the guitar enters with its insistent rhythms. Not that all the pieces are fast: "Crested Hens" is a slow, sweet air -- a bit reminiscent of Jay Ungar or Eileen Ivers -- and "My Johnny's Gone for a Soldier" is a sweet love song about an Irish rebellion. Solas is simply one of the best, most varied albums of Irish music to come out in a long time. ~ Kurt Keefner
Solas: Karan Casey (vocals); John Doyle (guitar); Winifred Horan (fiddle); Seamus Egan (flute); John Williams (accordion).
Purchase Solas CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Karan Casey Songlines CD (1997)
Solas album
 $14.49  
Karan Casey sings for Solas, one of the hottest young Irish folk bands of the last five years. Her solo debut is a wonderful album, a program consisting primarily of traditional material presented with minimal arrangements that show off her crystalline voice to best advantage. The instrumentation is not always strictly traditional -- that's an electric guitar providing cloudlike washes of chordal harmony on "She Is Like the Swallow" -- but the overall feel is very much in the folk idiom. Despite the intrinsic lightness of her voice, Casey manages to deliver a blistering rendition of Ewan MacColl's acerbic "Ballad of Accounting," and she sings about the jilted "Roger the Miller" with deceptive sweetness. She also brings new energy and insight into such chestnuts as "Shamrock Shore" and "One, I Love." Her excellent backing musicians include members of Solas, notably flutist Seamus Egan, who also provides excellent production. ~ Rick Anderson
Recording information: Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, PA.
Photographer: Colm Henry.
Unknown Contributor Roles: John Anthony; John Doyle .
Arrangers: John Anthony; Karan Casey; Michael Aharon; Seamus Egan; Winifred Horan; John Doyle .
Personnel: John Anthony (guitar, drums, bass drum, bodhran, hi-hat, djembe, timpani, tom tom, percussion); John Doyle (guitar); Seamus Egan (mandolin, flute, tin whistle, bodhran); Winifred Horan (violin); Michael Aharon (cello, piano, synthesizer, bass guitar, fretless bass, dumbek); Steve Holloway (snare drum); Daryl Burgess (djembe).
Liner Note Author: Earle Hitchner.
| | Solas Sunny Spells And Scattered Showers CD (1997)
Solas CD music
$14.65
It would be hard for Solas to top their eponymous debut album, and the group don't quite succeed, but they do present a wonderful follow-up nonetheless. Things are a bit more self-conscious and experimental this time around: Séamus Egan brings his banjo to the proceedings, playing it with an incredible rhythmic technique, and guest percussionist John Anthony bangs on drums from Europe, Africa, and Asia. The music, however, is still traditional, and that may keep the band from drifting off into worldbeat genericness. "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is given a modern treatment but is still the same old story of rebellion wrapped in a love ...
| | Solas Words That Remain CD (1998)
Solas music CDs
$15.35
The third album from the dynamic contemporary Celtic-folk band Solas is very consistent stylistically with their first two efforts, peppering traditional Irish folk songs, jigs, and reels with less conventional instrumentation. But if The Words That Remain sticks closely to the formula that brought immediate success to Solas and Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers, it also features a more eclectic song selection that demonstrates the flexibility of the band's distinctive sound. In addition to the expected Irish folk tunes (e.g., "I Am a Maid That Sleeps in Love" and "A Chomaraigh Aoibhinn O") there are brisk and energetic covers of Woodie Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty" and Peggy Seeger's acerbic activist ballad "Song of Choice." These songs invert the band's most significant accomplishment: having first invigorated Celtic music by adding elements of American folk and bluegrass, Solas has apparently turned to invigorating American folk by adding Celtic flair. As always, the production is slick and seamless, employing a seemingly bottomless bag of musical tricks that keep the proceedings lively and unpredictable throughout. The record also features impressive guest contributions by Canadian banjo master Bela Fleck and vocalist Iris de Ment. The Words That Remain does nothing to diminish Solas' standing, achieved within only three years of their debut, alongside the Chieftains and Altan ...
| | Solas Edge Of Silence CD (2002)
Solas songs
$14.49 
From the beginning, Solas has been a group that likes to mix it up, blending traditional Celtic melodies with an updated instrumental approach, but their fourth album, 2000's The Hour Before Dawn, found them moving away from the passionate jigs and reels of their earlier work into a more introspective style. The group's fifth disc, The Edge of Silence, finds them venturing even farther down this path; the sessions were produced by Solas leader Seamus Egan in collaboration with Neil Dorfsman, who has previously worked with Dire Straits and Sting, and it's certainly the group's most polished and stylistically diverse work to date. Many of the selections sound as if they're more strongly influenced by new age atmospherics and moody pop styles than anything in the lexicon of traditional Celtic music, and even the most trad-style numbers (such as "Charmy Chaplin" and "Legless") sound significantly more streamlined than this group did on their earlier work; the languid drift of "Black Annis," the subtly anthemic melodicism of their take on Bob Dylan's "Dignity," and electronic percussion textures of "Darkness, Darkness" make it clear Solas are governed less by Irish music's past than their own creative vision of the future. Which is to say that some of the purists who embraced the group's earlier work may be a bit put off by the glossy surfaces and pop-friendly melodies on The Edge of Silence, and once in a while one does miss the bracing fire of something like "The Yellow Tinker/Cranking Out/Master Crowley's #2" from their debut. But the material is strong; this band plays with grace and real passion (fiddler Winifred Horan, guitarist Donal Clancy, ...
| | Solas Another Day CD (2003)
Solas album
$14.19
Solas have a vision that extends past the lexicon of traditional Celtic music. They've covered musical ground that similar groups often overlook, mining the rich catalogues of past and present songwriters like Tom Waits, Nick Drake, and Peggy Seeger, as well as composing their own songs. On their sixth record, Another Day, they take the latter approach, opting for only two covers, a sweet rendition of Dan Fogelberg's "Scarecrow's Dream," and an almost Baroque pop version of Dougie MacLean's "This Love Will Carry." Virtuoso fiddler Winifred Horan's contribution, the elegant "Highlands of Holland," swings and twists, showing off her classically trained chops without being indulgent, and segues flawlessly into Kieran Goss' beautiful ballad, "All That You Ask Me." Accordion player Mick McAuley (who's fine solo record Ocean's Breadth featured alms from the majority of the group) and founding member, guitarist, and producer Seamus Egan are the glue that hold this ship together. Their work on the reels and breakdowns is impeccable, and offers further proof of the band's otherworldly abilities in a live setting. The powerful group vocals that fuel the two Gaelic numbers, "Seoladh Na Naamhna" and "Maire Mhilis Bhrea," remind one of Altan in their prime and illuminate how indispensable each member has become. Another Day doesn't suffer from the over-produced, electronic gadgetry -- even though it sneaks into a few tracks -- that makes ...
| | Alan Stivell 1 Douar (1 Earth) CD (1998) (Import) France
Solas CD music
$15.79
Guests-Youssou N'Dour,Khaled, Jim Kerr,John Cale &More
Audio Mixers: Robert Le Gall; John Cale; Martin Russell; Simon Emmerson.
Recording information: Acousti, Paris, France (1997-1998); Bro-Roazhon (1997-1998); Dublin, Ireland (1997-1998); London, England (1997-1998); New York, NY (1997-1998); Paris, France (1997-1998); Roazhon-Rennes (1997-1998); Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1997-1998); Terrific, Paris, France (1997-1998); Windhamhill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland (1997-1998).
Photographer: Jean-Baptiste Millot.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Mohsein Chentouf; Elisa Carrahar; Breda ...
| | Secret Hate Vegetables Dancing CD (1983)
Solas music CDs
$17.69 
If you're a purist of classic hardcore punk then this CD is a must have for you to ...
| | Kevin Burke Celtic Fiddle Festival CD (1993)
Solas songs
$13.45
Recorded live at Mercy Academy Auditorium, Merion, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1992; University of Wisconsin Music Hall, Madison, Wisconsin on November 15, 1992; Fairchild Auditorium, East Lansing, Michigan on November 18, 1992.
The original CELTIC FIDDLE FESTIVAL captures this ensemble at their musical peak. Ten years after this concert was released, Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham passed away. The group subsequently reformed with André Brunet, but Cunningham's death signaled the end of an era.
On this date, the trio plays a mixture of jigs, reels, and airs. "Dionne Reel/Mouth Of The Tobique" is a particularly celebratory number. This upbeat reel sees all three fiddlers sawing away, while guitarist John McGann holds down the fort rhythmically. "Mist Covered Mountains of Home" is a beautifully nostalgic air that conjures up images of the Scottish countryside. Here, the fiddle is played longingly as it mimics the timbre of a human voice. "Music For A Found Harmonium / La Partida / Roumanian Tune / Calgary Polka / Leaving Brittany" encompasses many different folk styles, ...
| | Capercaillie: Live In Concert CD (2002) Import
Solas album
$13.45
A true live recording (no studio overdubs or "enhancements") taken from their show at Celtic Connections 2002 finds Capercaillie sounding better and stronger than on their studio releases. Karen Matheson is one of Scotland's best young singers, although much of the band's work has seen her light hidden under a bush, to an extent. Here she shines, particularly on the glorious ballad "Iain Ghlinn Cuaich," where a sparse arrangement puts her firmly front and center. While there's a good selection of familiar material, including a highly rearranged "Coisich a Ruin," there's also some new work, just to show they're still moving ahead. As always, Michael McGoldrick proves to be a wizard on flute, whistle, and uillean pipes, but the rest of the band are a match for him, and the interplay between musicians breathes with an easy confidence. They've been around for 18 years, a long, long time, and on the evidence of this, it's been worth waiting so long to release their first ...
| | Celtic Spirit CD (2003) Import
Solas CD music
$12.39
KRL's Celtic Spirit focuses on the musical traditions of Scotland, bringing together some of that country's strongest talent for this tasteful set of instrumentals. It's mostly stirring fiddle work here, like that of Ruaridh Campbell on his and accordionist Angus Lyon's "Seaforth"; Ross Kennedy's work on the lament "Cluny Castle" is no slouch, either. Tannas shines on material taken from its 1995 release Oighreachd/Heritage, while JCB's "Amy's Waltz" is a happy-go-lucky accordion number. Other contributors include Iron Horse, Coila, and Jonny Hardie. ~ Johnny Loftus
This compilation showcases some of the ...
| | Marilyn Mccoo I Hope We Get To Love In Time CD (1976)
Solas music CDs
$10.09 
Former Fifth Dimension members Marilyn McCo and Billy Davis, Jr. hit gold the first time out. Produced by Don Davis (Johnnie Taylor, The Dramatics), the charming million-selling single "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" went to number one on Billboard's R&B and pop charts in 1976. Other highlights from their debut LP include the upbeat followup single, "Your Love," and the languid title track. The couple performed some of the songs on their CBS summer variety series. In 1999, they appeared ...
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