Mini-review of Emerald
I would like to share my first thoughts upon listening to the new Mr. Stivell’s album « Emerald ». I do hope I will not sound too bold or impolite.
Starting from the Brian Boru album Mr. Stivell undertook a musical journey traveling (maybe in spirit maybe in flesh) far and wide and fusing the Breton folk tradition with various world musics most notably African and with modern pop-music (especially on Explore). The result (I am talking about Brian Boru, 1-Douar, Explore) was …. khm khm… uneven.
But from the first sounds of Emerald I felt that Mr. Stivell has returned home. He did it in two meanings. First, the music on album is firmly rooted the Celtic traditions (Breton, Scottish, Welsh) just like in glorious 70-s. Second, the sound reminded me if not his 70-s albums then his works from 80-s (Terre des Vivants and Legende came to mind for some reason). And the music shows where his heart is truly lies. The music on Emerald is so rich, powerful, and vibrant. The balance between folk and modern sound is perfect. And the overall result is simply breathtaking. So welcome home Mr. Stivell. We were missing you. Welcome home!
I come from a traditional Gaelic speaking Scottish family and I really connected with the style of Emerald. Track 2 in particular is a song I’ve known from childhood, but I’ve never heard this version before and it’s a breath of fresh air! It’s great to hear someone taking traditional music and mixing it with more modern instruments. In particular I enjoyed hearing the gospel choir singing on the later tracks in the album. It’s a lovely mix of ancient methods of music with more modern types, and it works perfectly together! The music is really easy to listen to and has a calming nature. I’ll certainly be passing on the album to other family members who are already big fans of Mr Stivell’s music.
Congratulations on a great album, good luck in the future!
Mhairi Ross
tapaidh leat !
Hoping that I will play these pieces in Scotland this or next year,
best wishes,
alan