| OVER SILVER SEAS
WITH THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL MEAV CD REVIEW
Meav's lovely first album featured not only her beautiful voice
but extensively focused on the oboe of David. So it is understandable that in
her eyes this new production, Silver Sea, is a special child, her first solo project.
It is a very appealing idea to me, to gather a series of songs with kindred theme,
drawn from various sources and backgrounds but having a common thread, the sea.
Of course the sea is particularly significant to island peoples and the Irish
are no exception. Meav told me she has many happy memories of childhood holidays
by the sea at her grandmother's home in Co. Louth (north of Dublin, near Drogheda),
where there are magnificent long stretches of pale sand on a wind-blown seashore.
The songs are all haunting, with intriguing lyrics and tranquil
musical settings. Although the rythms and tempos vary quite sufficiently to make
for interesting listening the peace from their sounds is not spoiled, and the
sleeve notes are particularly worthwhile as they not only give the words of the
songs, but also explain their origins, some of which are fascinating. You
Brought Me Up - A sweet piano backing evokes the rippling seawater to
perfection as Meav's pure voice tells the tale of the Celtic myth, recounting
the story of a seal brought to live out of the water. It works very well in song
as the word pictures are so clear. As an Irish listener, I think of Fungi, our
longtime resident dolphin off Dingle, in Kerry, who has lived so close to humans
all these years. It is easy to see how the myth of the seals could have evolved
from a real life tale such as Fungi. The Wicked Sister
- A new song by Meav and Conor O'Reilly, based on a text 'Two Sisters' from the
Childhood Ballad Collection, this is a less melodic track but one brimming with
drama and energy, again with wonderful piano accompaniment, and as the tale of
jealousy, murder and revenge is unfolded in the lyric, it is a song that showcases
the vocal skills that Meav has - I cannot imagine being able to navigate around
the complex phrasing as effortlessly as she does. Morning
in Bearra - This is a favourite track of mine! We are so used to hearing
the present day version in English, Danny Boy, and the beauty of the original
tends to be forgotten. This lyric is in Irish, by Irish scholar Dr. Osborn Bergin,
and dates from 1901. Meav sings it exquisitely, with lovely backing from piano
and violin. I think this is the best rendering of the piece I have heard.
Full Fathom Five - This is a special track, as it is Meav's
own creation. She composed the lilting, haunting melody, which suggests very vividly
the slightly sinister quality that the sea can have. Her choice of lyric is intriguing
too, as she uses an ancient Shakespearean text from 'The Tempest' which describes
the watery grave of a drowned man, and which is apparently the origin of the phrase
'sea-change'. Both in music and voice this song flows, and has a sense of lullaby
that I love. The Waves of Tory - Another family special,
as Meav's father composed this song! Meav told me that her father and a friend
wrote the song when she was a child. Telling of an emigrant returned to Tory Island
off Donegal, it was written in Irish originally, and Meav has supplied English
verses herself, and she and violinist Máire Breatnach arranged the song
for this CD. Meav's father must be so proud listening to this lovely rendition
of his song by his gifted daughter! The melodic flow of voice and guitar and superb
moody violin make it another favourite track for me. A Maid
in Bedlam - A traditional song, arranged by Meav. Strange tale, this one,
from 1740's Cornwall, recounting the misfortunes of a girl whose fate was the
grim Bedlam Asylum, thanks to the disapproval of her lover's parents. Another
challenging exercise for the voice with complex timing and range, it shows the
exceptionally high quality of Meav's soprano talent. (I'm not too sure about choosing
to write a song about such a tale; the traditional songs can be curious animals
- at least no Cornish or Irish parents would get away with such hideous reactions
to their childrens' romantic choices nowadays, thankfully!) The
Cradles - Another track of the lilting genre that so appeals to me, this
one is an old French song 'Les berceaux' (the cradles) , portraying the pulls
of the restless sea and the cradles or home and family on the shore. Meav's French
accent is as sweet and pure as her two first languages, English and Irish, and
a joy to listen to. Newry Boat Song - This tale of
lost love crosses the Celtic worlds and uses its old Scots Gaelic lyric as well
as English, particularly interesting for any students of the Gaelic languages.
The a cappella singing by someone of Meav's caliber is a special treat,
and the fine male choral backing adds to the mood. Martha's
Harbour - An unexpected addition to the CD, being in origin from 1988
and first heard by Meav on the television show 'Top of the Pops', but it fits
perfectly with the traditional folk songs and another melodic rippling song that
conjours up the restless waves of the sea and the strange magnetsim that has for
so many people. The Darkhaired Girl - This catchy,
rythmic voice-challenge blends two songs, one of Donegal origin and one of Scottish
source. It is arranged by Meav, Rossa and Colm O Snodaigh. It is another that
bespeaks Meav's vocal skills as despite the fast tempo and demanding lyric the
words are crystal clear. Port na bPucai - This is
another arrangement by Meav with Rossa and Colm O Snodaigh, a beautiful sad song
of a fairy woman, atmospheric and somehow spiritual in its mood. The musical backing
is particularly haunting. Legend has it that the melody was heard first by fishermen
off the Blasket Islands, and Meav suggests in her notes that perhaps it was whale-song
they heard, and I can certainly see why she thought of that. Silent
O Moyle - One of the deep, intellectual pieces, a traditional melody arranged
by Meav with words by Thomas Moore, who collected Irish airs in the early 1800s.
This one is based on the Children of Lir, the three sons and daughter who were
cursed and changed into swans by their jealous stepmother. They spent 300 exiled
years on the Straits of Moyle between Ireland and Scotland, and this is the daughter,
Fionnula's lament. Although it has such sad meaning it is a lovely song to listen
to. Youkali Tango - The album finishes with a charming,
bright little song and showcases Meav's sweet French accent once again. It sounds
a very 'young' song somehow, a song of fantasy dreams and longing - Youkali is
the land of those dreams, the world we all escape to where everything works out
right. A very fitting sound to leave in the listener's ear at the end of a very
well chosen gathering of songs. Silver Sea
has a good blending of songs that will be familiar and those that will be new
to the listener. It is well worth adding to the library of anyone who enjoys any
Celtic sound, and the unknown songs will soon 'grow on you'. I love the varied
sources of the songs, and the sleeve notes enrich the experience of the selection.
Meav's voice is very special - I think the journalist who described it as 'the
voice of an angel' put it perfectly. It is a voice of rare purity, clarity and
sweetness, and I have seldom heard a soprano voice still so comfortably within
its capacity at the highest registers. The accompaniments she has chosen complement
it beautifully, and I hope she always stays with the simplicity of accompaniment
that she uses now; her voice needs no more.
CD Review: Annie
of Dublin
Editing: Louise
Owen
Feature: Bernadette
Price
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
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