Voyage

It’s March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. You know what that means? That’s right—Celtic Thunder again! This is the first DVD released without Paul Byrom and Damian McGinty. It’s the first to feature Emmett Cahill.

So, how is “Voyage”? Well, we’ll start with the DVD and then go on to the CD.

The DVD opens with images of the lads before starting with Altos, Druids and Deus Meus sung mostly by the band before the five lads join them for Deus Meus. It’s a very haunting tune that reminds me of days spent in church whenever they brought us school kids over for Reconciliation. After, featured artist Daniel Furlong comes out to join the others for Dulaman. It is sung entirely in Irish. I looked it up, it’s a traditional song about seaweed, of all things. But the arrangement here is powerful and gets the crowd pumped for the show.

Afterwards, Emmett gets his first solo in Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears.  The “isle” in question is Ellis Island. I’m third generation Greek-American and my great-grandparents all passed through Ellis Island. I’ve been there and I think of the building when I listen to the song. Emmett’s voice and classical feeling works to create that emotional feeling. Next is a returning favorite, Keith’s The Dutchman. As I addressed it in my “Heritage” review, I shall pass it by.

On a shallow note, I will thank the costumer for putting Keith in shirts that remained unbuttoned at the top.

Following Keith’s performance, it’s the band’s turn to shine in Jigs and Reels. Nicole Hudson is back as the band’s violinist and she takes center stage here. She shines and it’s great to see the band have so much fun onstage. After, we get treated to Neil singing Lagan Love. It was featured in “Storm” and is still lovely here as a solo piece. Ryan and Emmett provide backing harmonies for him, which is an interesting switch after the years Neil provide backing harmonies for the lads.

It’s good to see Ryan on this DVD, given all he went through last year. That said, because of his late addition to the fall tour, both his songs are recycled from old shows. First up is Black is the Color from “Heritage.” Like Keith’s first number, all has been said about it in the review for that show. So we’ll move on to Daniel Furlong’s solo number, Over the Rainbow. We all know this song. But it’s nice to see a little lad in the group again. His voice is higher than Damian’s when he started, but it adds to the sweetness of the song.

After Daniel’s solo, the five lads sing Maid of Culmore. It’s haunting melody about lost love and follows the slow Over the Rainbow well. It then goes into the fun up-tempo Girls, Girls, Girls sung by George, Emmett, Neil and Keith. They are all having fun, though Emmett could’ve smiled a bit more. But it’s his first DVD so we can forgive him. George remains on the stage as he sings Red Rose Café. It was on the “Heritage” CD and now is staged. George always has fun on stage and it shows.

Next is Emmett’s second solo, Kindred Spirits. It’s another slow song. Can we give the guy some more upbeat solos? The mood picks up with the Clancy Brothers Medley. Daniel sings “I’ll Tell Me Ma” before Neil, Keith and Emmett join him for “Courtin’ in the Kitchen.” The three have some fun with Daniel, who plays along quite well. Eventually, he leaves as Ryan and George join the other three for “Irish Rover.” All three are fun songs and the lads show it while on stage.

Neil gets his second solo with Past the Point of Rescue. It’s a song that Neil sings with such passion. He is definitely becoming my new favorite now that Paul is gone. Neil doesn’t leave the stage once his song is over. He picks up his guitar and joins the band for Ryan’s second song, Ride On. This goes all the way back to the first show so in some ways, it feels fresh again. And it’s great to see Ryan back in black. Following Ryan is Keith on his own guitar for All Day Long. It’s another high energy song and Keith owns the stage. Even the band has fun with this one as well!

The concert ends with everyone singing Galway Girl. They also provide musical accompaniment as well. This includes George, Neil and Keith on guitar; Ryan on whistle; Daniel on wooden block; and Emmett on fiddle. This was one of the more popular songs off the “Heritage” CD and its good to see it get a staging here. It’s also great to see all the lads playing along. Even Daniel gets a dance!

This is the first Celtic Thunder DVD since the first show not to end with a performance of “Ireland’s Call.” It only plays over the credits. But there is a reason for this. Producer Sharon Browne explains in this blog why the Celtic Thunder DVDs are generally only an hour long. It has to do with copyright. And I can assure you, from my experience in December, that Voyage was nearly two hours long. Apparently, there will be another DVD released this summer with the footage of “Voyage” not shown on this one. It also appears that some of the footage for “Voyage II” is featured on the PBS specials.

So what songs should we expect on “Voyage II”? For answers, we’ll move on to the CD. We’ve covered the first three tracks, so we’ll start with Track 4, George singing Scorn Not His Simplicity. It is a Phil Coulter song about a child born with special needs. It’s sad yet beautiful and I must admit it’s not one of my favorites. But I think the special needs mass my church has might like it.

Moving on, Ryan sings Moondance. It’s a jazzy number that just suits his voice. I enjoy listening to it. The group returns with Song for the Mira. I looked it up and was surprised to learn it’s a Canadian folksong. The Mira is a river in Nova Scotia, but it passes through a lot of small villages which makes sense when you hear the song. It’s about a small coastal town where everyone is welcoming and knows each other. From this, it goes into Neil singing She’s Always a Woman, another favorite of mine.

Next up is Ryan’s Friends in Low Places. It’s a bit more country than we’re used to from Celtic Thunder but Ryan carries it well. We skip a few tracks to George’s Cat’s in the Cradle. I really wanted this song to be included on the CD. It was my absolutely favorite when I saw the show live in December. I hope the performance is on the second DVD. We then skip over to Emmett singing This is the Moment. Once again, it’s a ballad that shows off Emmett’s classical training and is lovely. Can we give the guy a fun song to sing? Please?

There are two bonus songs on the album. Missing Damian’s voice? He sings Falling Slowly, the Academy Award-winning song from the movie Once. It’s breathtaking how he sings this. For all the Damian-doubters who watch Glee, I dare you to listen to this song and not feel something. The last song is one that was clearly taped live and better be on the next DVD—Seven Drunk Nights. It’s a fun, high energy song. But it’s better to see it live, especially the way the lads play it.

So catch Celtic Thunder on your PBS station for the rest of the month! And look up to see if they are coming to a town near you this fall!