"Take Me Home" is the new CD and DVD package from the runaway hit group conceived by entertainment mogul Sharon Browne and music legend Phil Coulter.
“I am punter orientated and I try to design things from the audience perspective,” says Browne when asked to describe how she approaches these big shows. She was also the original producer of Celtic Woman.
“It is all about keeping them entertained and surprised. If the first act is slow, I will be bored. We live in a world of 1,000 channels and a remote control, so it is critical that you keep people surprised, interested and entertained. That is our job.”
Browne knows her job well. Before producing big shows like Celtic Thunder and Celtic Woman, she had her own label, Celtic Collections, and started the K-Tel record label in Ireland. In conversation, she can be blunt.
“We parted ways. Stuff happened and I just moved on,” she says of the less than amicable split with the Celtic Woman show a few years ago.
She is a fascinating character to interview, with any rough edges in her no-nonsense style smoothed over by a deliciously wicked sense of humor.
As for the music itself, Take Me Home is yet another engaging collection of popular songs rearranged by Coulter to create a Broadway show sound that is decidedly Celtic.
Cast member Ryan Kelly’s read of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” adds a pop slickness to the original without losing the stalker’s edge of the narrator, and it is reassuring to find George Donaldson out of his dour persona for a playful read of the Proclaimers’ “500 Miles.”
“From the very beginning, I designed this show to represent the span of a man’s life,” says Browne.
“They are all cast teenage heartthrob, Mr. Right, Mr. Wrong; and George was this serious father figure that makes you feel safe. I am trying to lighten that character up a bit, and I was thrilled with how that track came out.”
The comment is indicative of the great care that Browne puts into the evolution of the show. She has plans to develop each player in solo albums that are planned for the near future, and it is fascinating to hear her describe where the show has been as she plots where it is going.
For the first time, though, one can see the occasional rough spot in the Celtic Thunder franchise.
“Steal Away,” the classic Coulter tune, appears for the second time in the series, which goes against Browne’s vow to never repeat oneself, and while Paul Byrom’s voice soars on the majestic “You Raise Me Up,” do we really need another version of that sappy tune?
Josh Groban did it and so did Celtic Woman. By now, the melody drowns in heavy syrup like a cling peach at this point.
Can we all just agree to not record this song ever again? The world has had enough!
Browne is busy retooling the Celtic Thunder show, which hits our shores in October. In the meantime, Take Me Home is a nice companion for fans of this production’s numerous heartthrobs.
I spoke with Browne about her current smash and her past successes, but I was sworn to secrecy as to what is up her sleeves next. Here is what I can report from our conversation:
Apart from the obvious plumbing differences, what are the differences between Celtic Man and Celtic Woman?
The dynamic is completely different. There is more electricity, a higher energy level. They are like chalk and cheese.
The guys are rougher and noisier as opposed to the girls, who are very elegant. With the four female sopranos you get that Enya vibe, which is hard to diversify in a way. They had the Irish feel to them no matter what song you gave them, so it was more Celtic sounding.
With the guys, the voices are different. The Irishness comes from an attitude and the accents, which is why it has the Celtic feel, but there is so much more you can do with the diversity of their talent.
Plus, they are very much blokey blokes. I want to highlight that these are real men. Sometimes, It’s like teaching the army to do Swan Lake (laughs).
They certainly are different. Was that part of the plan?
Absolutely. I actually had an idea for the kind of man I wanted for each role in the show and I was thrilled that they were out there. I have been in the business forever and obviously know tons of established people to do each role, but I wanted hungry unknowns, and I got them as well.
Keith was a surfer swimmer, Ryan was an accountant, George was building busses and Paul was the only one doing musical theater. His voice was what I wanted, but I didn’t want someone too theatrical.
I wanted that big voice to be applied to these modern ballads but I wanted this soccer bloke to do it, which is what I got.
Does the evolution of this show allow for puberty? The young lad (Damien) is definitely changing before our eyes.
It’s great that he is allowed to evolve with the show. We joke that Damien’s voice has broken so bad that it’s down to his knees!
He started with this cute baby song in “Puppy Love” and now he is going to strut his stuff. Just since the last show, he is moving from flirt to a swinger.
He’s 18 now, so he can’t do “Puppy Love.” He is a cocky 18-year-old; he is going to take Keith on.
I have a house full of them and that’s the way it works as the boys age. They rumble with one another.
I know the Celtic Woman cast each cut a solo album. Is that something you are looking to do with the cast members of Celtic Thunder?
Yes. Keith is looking at working with a producer. Even though the industry dictates that you have to include cover songs that people know in your debut, he is a great singer songwriter with plenty of original tunes.
Damien has dropped down to his boots. He is going more into Michael Buble territory, but I want to wait for him to mature a bit first before we do a solo album there.
You are going to put these albums out within the Celtic Thunder label, and I am wondering how you strike the balance between allowing these singers artistic expression versus producing something in line with what the Celtic Thunder brand conveys?
When the time comes to do solo albums, I would probably include two tracks to connect to the fan with the character in the show and beyond that, it is geared to who they are.
Ryan has a husky, sexy voice. Paul is a tenor, and I think the direction for him to go is to take that voice to pop ballads.
But you are right, you have to balance the needs of the show with the responsibility to develop them as the individuals.
What is something that we don’t know about Phil Coulter that you do?
We go back a long way. He is very sartorially elegant. He is always so well dressed, and that is rare because Irish artists are not that big into clothes (laughs).
He is an absolute gentleman, but a fierce perfectionist. He says he hates me because I put all of these deadlines in front of him but deep down, I think he loves it.
In the brief I was giving him when I first outlined the concept, we agreed right away that we were interested in moving beyond the “Danny Boy” thing. They are all Celtic singers in accent and attitude only. Just because you have Celtic blood doesn’t mean you have to do all Irish songs.
What do you think of the High Kings (produced by the Celtic Woman team)?
It’s good, basic pub songs. That was designed to complete with CelticThunder. Maybe they were trying to run me out of business, who knows.
When I worked with that team I had an idea to create something unique with the male gender, not just this Celtic Man, you know, some Celtic Woman in trousers. I wanted something raw, male, and primal.
When they came up with the High Kings, let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised when they came out with something like that.
You bring up a good point about creating something unique. I was a big fan at first, but my problem with Celtic Woman is that the show had great promise initially but then they sort of milked it.
They were afraid to drop this and that; this was at the root of why we parted company. We had our success initially and some folks wanted to keep the most popular songs in. I went, “Tough, new show.”
What they put together was more of the same and left the favorites in. It was my intention to switch the girls out, and they were other parties that didn’t agree.
The biggest problem the company has is that there is no producer taking that vision. No theme, no concept, no vision.
When you come up with a new show that builds on what you’ve done before, I think you have to come back with surprises for your audience.
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