Patrick James » Music

Eleanor McEvoy – The Astounding “I’d Rather Go Blonde” Album Reviewed

Patrick James — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:00:12 +0000

Eleanor McEvoy is back to her absolute song-writing best with her stunning new album. Her eigth album “I’d Rather Go Blonde” which is set for release 20th September is soulful and honest reflecting Eleanor’s perfect culmination of twenty years of beautiful songwriting. One listen to this album shows why Eleanor McEvoy has become one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer/songwriters.

With songwriters of Eleanor’s calibre, especially when the artist has written so much great music, I am always apprehensive of hearing their next offering… will it be as good as the last? And so far Eleanor McEvoy’s music has never disappointed – and this forthcoming album is no exception, rather the opposite. This is Eleanor at her best, with a freshness that makes the bold statement that the past is exactly that, the past – Eleanor McEvoy has found a new level in her songwriting. Eleanor continues to write in an uncompromising fashion about topics such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance… but never compromises the “feel good” undertones and humorous outlook. The album moves through a series of sounds that will have listeners singing along.

Recorded at Westland Studios, the team of Eleanor McEvoy, Mick O’Gorman, Peter Beckett (co-producers of LOVE MUST BE TOUGH) and Ciaran Byrne (engineer), has expanded with the addition of Gavin Fox (ex Idlewild), Ross Turner (Cathy Davey, Jape) and the Mixing skills of Ruadhri Cushnan (Mumford and Son) - this is the sort of album that will inspire other musicians, as it works on so many levels. This is a stunning album.

The album will be released in the UK and Ireland on Sept. 20, 2010 It is available for pre-order on Amazon UK.

Guest Blog: Translating Ecstasy from Syria to the Blues: Gaida’s Secret Passion is Revealed

Patrick James — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:00:26 +0000

For Gaida, morning in Damascus meant melodies: waking to the sound of her father’s radio while he shaved, the predawn intertwining calls to prayer bursting from mosques across the world’s longest-inhabited city. Strains of Umm Kulthum and Fairouz rose from radios and stores as horses clopped and cars purred by. The age-old harmonized with the modern.

These sounds shaped the gorgeous and thoughtful Syrian singer’s impeccable musical intuition and velvety yet crystalline voice, now channeled into the stunning live performances and bluesy originals of Levantine Indulgence, a set of songs as rich and subtle as the Fertile Crescent oasis of ancient Levant. With her voice as a common denominator, Gaida has found the soulful sweet spot where complex Levantine rhythms synch up with breezy hints of bossa nova, pounding belly dance beats, and that certain swing found only in jazz.

Gaida’s songs, refined over a decades-long journey, unite the elegance of Arabic poetry and the refined ornamentation of Middle Eastern vocals with the sophisticated urbanite sensibilities of her adopted home. They translate the elevated tarab (ecstasy) into the indulgence of a personal passion that drove the girl from Damascus to defy her beloved father and find her voice, meanwhile moving from intimate clubs to prestigious national venues like the Kennedy Center and major feature films, including Jonathan Demme’s 2008 drama “Rachel Getting Married.”

“For me, indulgence means giving yourself a treat,” explains Gaida, who is now based in New York. “When we perform as a band, we give ourselves the freedom to create something beautiful. We indulge ourselves. If I want to improvise, I improvise. I forget myself.”

Gaida comes by this indulgence honestly, having gotten a primer in Middle Eastern song and improvisation from toddlerhood. “My mother would sit with me in the living room and teach me the song word by word,” says Gaida. “Then I would sing it back to her. That’s really where my musical training came from.” Soon, Gaida was writing down favorite song on slips of paper, tucking them into her schoolbooks for safekeeping. Looking in a mirror to aid her first improvisations, Gaida began crafting her own highly personal versions of Syrian folk classics like “Almaya.”

Damascus itself conspired with Gaida’s warm and musical family, with their large record collection and love of musical get-togethers, to create a sonic foundation for the singer’s future art. Gaida fondly recalls the complicated chance harmonies that appeared as the city’s muezzins performed the calls to prayer.

“The call to prayer has been stuck in my soul since I was a little kid. Four o’ clock in the morning, when Damascus was so quiet, all the mosques were calling for prayer, and you hear the collection of them in the most unbelievable harmonies. Mostly I would hear the mosque next to our house, where they used to improvise from one maqam (melodic scale) to another. And improvise beautifully,” Gaida reminisces. “I think this is where I get a lot of the melodies in my head and why improvisation comes easily to me. You can throw me in any band and I invoke the sounds around me and mix them within me.”

Gaida had a chance to do just that, when her studies took her to Detroit to get a degree in biology. Her pursuit of a career in the sciences was encouraged by her engineer father who was opposed to his daughter becoming a professional performer. “I only know how to sing. It’s the only thing I do naturally. It’s like an itch. An itch that I can’t stop,” Gaida reflects. “When my dad did not encourage me, I felt like I had something wrong with me. Yet it increased my desire to do it. The more someone wants to stop you, the more you want to sing and make music!”

The itch led Gaida to her university’s music school and to a new world of American jazz, blues, and rock bands. Soon, she found herself performing a regular gig at a local Lebanese restaurant. “My eyes were always on the door worrying that my dad might come in. Even though he was in Syria!” she laughs.

Coincidentally, during her first restaurant concert, famous Lebanese poet Maroon Karam happened to be in town and caught the show. He was so taken by her voice, he gave her the bittersweet poem of separation that became “Ghayeb,” featured on the new CD. He also filed a story in the pages of a Lebanese magazine about his adventures in Detroit, praising Gaida as one of the best Middle Eastern voices he had ever heard. Gaida’s nightmare came true. “My family saw the article. Usually when families see something like that they are proud of you. But my mom called and said, ‘What are you doing? You are going to give your dad a heart attack!’” recalls Gaida. “I felt so guilty instead of proud. I stopped singing.”

Yet nothing could end Gaida’s passion for music. Melodies began appearing in her head when she least expected them. When her younger brother Ammar got married, she and her brother and musical collaborator, Adel, wanted to create a song together, but Gaida developed a frustrating case of writer’s block: “It was getting close to the wedding date and I still couldn’t come up with anything,” Gaida recounts. “Adel called me and said, ‘You are not going to do it; I’m going to do it.’ And I said, “No I will do it!” and hung up the phone and started singing a song. I called my brother back and started singing for him. He said, ‘Oh my god, that is it. That is it!’ The siblings recorded “Ammar” in Adel’s tiny bedroom studio in Queens. Breakthrough recordings of “Ammar” and “Ghayeb” from this mid-1990s period form the backbone of their respective final versions on the new album.

The next breakthrough came when she moved to New York and began hanging out in the city’s increasingly vibrant Arabic music scene—one that, like Gaida, is evolving a unique voice and sound. After a concert at Alwan for the Arts in Lower Manhattan, Gaida found herself jamming with oud player Najib Shaheen, which caught the ear of percussionist Johnny Farraj. Soon, Gaida became a fixture at Arabic jam sessions around the city, where she met Iraqi-American jazz trumpeter and santoor player Amir ElSaffar. Gaida would improvise melodies for ElSaffar, and he in turn would create a filigree of jazz-inspired arrangements for songs like “Kaifa Uhibuka.” The two bi-cultural musicians were coming from opposite ends—maqam and jazz—and meeting in the middle.

These new musical connections marked a rebirth for Gaida, who is also a trained speech therapist that works with Arab children and professional vocalists, a field that gave her scientific knowledge to back up her impeccable vocal technique. Her unstoppable passion for music led to a revelatory realization for her father: His daughter had become an amazing and respected artist, as well as a talented health professional. “Now I don’t feel guilty if I’m singing,” Gaida muses. “I did what my dad wanted me to do professionally”.

Courtesy of: World Music News Wire

Featured Video – “FREAK” Mugger Dave (…Fab New Single “CRAWL UP”)

Patrick James — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:38 +0000

To mark today’s release of the Fabulous NEW Single “CRAWL UP” from MUGGER DAVE this week’s featured video is Freak.

Mugger Dave (previousily reviewed here) have been rightly hailed as ‘One of Ireland’s most promising Act’s!’ by The Irish Times, and given their ability to write and record ‘Custom Made songs for Radio’ (HOTPRESS), we can expect to hear a lot more from this Galwegian trio upon the release of their new single ‘CRAWL UP’ on Oct 30th 2009.

With a highly popular reputation that contiunes to grow, Mugger Dave have performed live on TG4′s Sile show, and where included on the IMRO 2008 Showcase tour. Their song, ‘My Life In Circles’, was featured on the IMRO Showcase CD and distributed nationally with the Daily Star newspaper. The band are currently preparing for the release of their debut album, “What’s She Doing Here?” Their last single ‘Got A Lot On My Mind’ received airtime on Phantom FM, RTE2XM, Beat FM, WLRFM, LIVE95 and many more. It was also awarded “Single of the Week” on Radio Na Life.

IT’s available now but Why Not ENJOY A Sample Listen to CRAWL! Then enjoy the video

01 CRAWL UP – New single by MUGGER DAVE by GoodSeedPR

Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/muggerdave

Upcoming Shows ( view all )
12 Dec 2009 20:00
The Cellar bar in Derry Derry, Northern Ireland
4 Feb 2010 20:00
All Ireland Battle of The Bands- Lough Erne Hotel in Kesh, Co Fermanagh. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
23 Feb 2010 20:00
SU Sessions NUI Galway Galway, Galway

Clive Barnes – The Ghost Country – Better per-play!

Patrick James — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:11:46 +0000

Clive Barnes The Ghost Country is one of those very rare of Albums that come along every once in a blue moon and are simply instantaneously addictive… With the release date set for September 11th, this forth album from the Wexford songwriter, has all the elements that make an album stand out and distinguish a musician from from their contemporaries in ways most other songwriters only strugle towards.

I was lucky enough to get a preview of this album but after hearing The Ghost Country was reluctant to review it – For one reason only, the album is that darn good… there had to be a snag, but no… I have listened and re-listened to this album non-stop and it only gets better per-play! And to be fair and tell the truth, September 11th I will be buying a couple of copies for one or two of my close friends who have heard a track or two already on the car stereo and are eagerly awaiting.

On guitar and vocals Clive Barnes does the business in stunning fashion and in a way that marks him as one of Ireland’s great performers. No wonder really when you think how he’s finely honed his skills and roots reputation by touring the US and Europe with names likes of Eric Bibb, Taj Mahal, Jeff Beck, Alison Krauss, Seasick Steve, The Blind Boys of Alabama and many more.

While your waiting for the release why not check out Clive Barne’s myspace player: http://www.myspace.com/clivebarnesmusic

Upcoming Shows

( view all )

4 Sep 2009