Irish Music Reviews

Susan McKeown and
Lorin Sklamberg
Saints & Tzadiks

In this self-titled album, Saints & Tzadiks, Susan McKeown and Lorin Sklamberg come together on a musical endeavor which takes traditional Irish language songs and Yiddish folk songs and bridges the gap between the two rather similar genres. The pair have worked together before, memorably with the Klezmatics, which earned Grammy awards. Vocalist Susan McKeown brings a sweetness to the tracks, shining particularly on “Oakam” which explores a more traditional Irish genre. The bulk of the Jewish material
was drawn from the recently published Yiddish Folk Songs from the Ruth Rubin Archive. Sklamberg’s presence on the album is strong, performing a haunting solo a capella “Father and Son” as well
as lending vocals to the other tracks and playing the accordion and piano on most every song. The combination merges surprisingly well, seamlessly blending the linguistics into a much unified folk blend. Rather than creating an album where the genre moved from Yiddish folk to Celtic as the tracks go on, McKeown and Sklamberg worked to bring elements of both into each song, making it a consistent but unique work and thoroughly entertaining.

Annette Griffin
Songs from the Heart of Ireland

Breaking from her residency playing at Ashford Castle Hotel each night, Annette Griffin has recorded some of the hotel frequenters’ favorites, thus came Songs from the Heart of Ireland. Griffin’s voice is soothing and brings a pleasant modern flavor to the collection of traditional songs with a few pop songs thrown in for good measure. Her rendition of J. Gold’s “From a Distance” is a delightful surprise toward the end of the record following a medley of trad songs such as “Galway Bay” and “Come by the Hills.” Griffin is native to County Galway and studied voice at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Now with a CD to sell her fans at Ashford, Griffin’s voice can travel beyond the castle walls and bring the songs from the heart of Ireland onward.

Dan Milner
Irish Pirate Ballads and other
Songs of the Sea

Joined by some of Irish music’s most      recognizable names, Dan Milner sings    maritime songs which tell the tales of Irishmen on the ocean, while other songs chronicle the diaspora. Mick Moloney writes the introduction to the album, praising Milner’s vocals. Moloney also has an important presence on the album, joined by Joanie Madden, John Doyle, Susan McKeown and others as guest artists. Irish Pirate Ballads was released by the nonprofit Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The songs are upbeat and Milner’s light vocals bring such personality to the tracks that the authenticity of each ballad remains uncompromised though recorded in   most cases centuries after they
    were written.

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