Name:
Ceolaire
Artist:
Hugh Healy
Year of Publication:
2021
Album Page:
https://hughhealy.bandcamp.com/album/ceolaire
Social Media:
Instagram https://instagram.com/hughhealymusic?utm_medium=copy_link
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hugh.healy.39
Description:
A "first solo album" for Clare concertina player Hugh Healy, who has previously released two other albums with other players ("Macalla na hÓige" with his brother Colm Healy in 2004, and "We Were Drinking and Kissing the Ladies" with noted Clare musician "Blackie" O'Connell in 2010)
Featured Musicians:
Hugh Healy - Concertina (All Tracks), Michael McCague- Guitar/Bouzouki (All Tracks); Pádraic O’Reilly - Piano (Tracks 1,3,4,6,7,8,10); John Maloney - Bodhran (Tracks 1,2,4,11); Cathy Potter- Harp (Track 8); Caroline O’Donoghue - Concertina (Track 11); Colm Healy - Accordion (Track 11), Noel O’Donoghue - Flute (Track 11), Eric Healy Fiddle (Track 11), John Kelly - Fiddle (Track 11), Johnny Kelly - Fiddle (Track 11), Dearbhladh Healy - Tin Whistle (Track 11)
BandCamp Sleeve Notes:
"Hugh Healy is a multi All-Ireland winning concertina player from Corofin Co. Clare. This is Hugh's Debut Solo album. Hugh recorded his first album, "Macalla na hÓige", in 2004 with his brother Colm and his second album, "We Were Drinking and Kissing the Ladies", with Blackie O Connell in 2010. Other than these albums, Hugh has taught and played in many festivals all over the world."
In Detail:
Many thanks to Caroline O'Donoghue for bringing this one to my attention (who I surmise is the same Caroline O'Donoghue who is listed on the album sleeve)
I haven't bought the album - so this review is entirely based off the four freely-available tracks on BandCamp. I'll amend once I've heard the other tracks.
Although it's listed as his "first solo album", none of the four tracks available for preview-listen on BandCamp are solo in the traditional sense - all are heavily accompanied. It's more a solo album in the sense that Hugh is the lead instrumentalist, and you do get a decent sense of his style and proficiency. However, if you were expecting "Pure Drop" or ASMR-type traditional music recordings that have been back in vogue the last 10-20 years, this certainly isn't it, as he does not appear to play alone for a single second.
If your exposure to concertina is Cormac Begley, you are going to find this very different - this is a far more conventional and reserved concertina player in terms of style (and I suspect background given the mention of Fleadh successes in the descriptor). The style is modern in the sense of it being in keeping with the Fleadh / Ceilí Band idea of what traditional music is, and appears to be separate from the more doggedly traditional end of the tradition, and also quite a bit away from the experimental genre-hopping edge of the tradition (Beoga / Flook / Goitse / Moxie) which have gained so much traction in the last 20-30 years.
The first track is a pair of jigs with piano, bodhran and guitar accompaniment; "The Blue Angel" and "Miss O'Sullivan's"; the second in particular is a very widely heard jig. It's well played, and carries the feel of a "Geantraí" set. Very listenable and proficient, and indeed exactly what you should listen to if you want to find out how to play this at a session.
The second track is a pair of reels; "The Sword in the Hand" and "The Widow's Daughter" - the first track is more commonly known as "Around the World For Sport" with heavy guitar accompaniment. Again, good choices of reels which suit the lead instrumentalist well.
Track #8 - Mischief Annall - is a kind of a slow tune in what can be best described as "Siansa-style" - modern, carefully played, but ultimately lacking the soul of a sean-nos melody. Heavily accompanied with piano, harp and bouzouki. Well-played, but I tolerated rather than enjoyed it.
Track #10 is probably my favourite of the free BandCamp tracks - a gorgeous couple of hornpipes in "McGivney's Fancy" and "The Birds" into the always-technical "Mathematician". Bouzouki accompaniment is very tastefully done here. Personally, I feel the natural sway of a hornpipe is lost in that particular tune, and I cannot think of a rendition of this particular tune that manages to keep it, and this is noticeable in a set of classical hornpipes. However, it's played well, and this is a good set for Hugh to demonstrate to us his obvious proficiency with the music and the instrument.
What's Good:
Technical solo melodical proficiency is very notable here, as would be expected of a multiple All-Ireland Fleadh champion. It's proficient while keeping to a very steady rhythm in the dance music tracks, and displaying obvious technical skills with careful embellishment without overdoing it.
The jig and reel sets in particular should be good reference sets for those trying to learn those particular tunes on concertina - worth checking out if you're aiming to learn any of them.
Hugh is a talented and clearly experienced player, and the tracks I have listened to are produced reasonably well. It's an album without major flaws and will fit comfortably in the pantheon of multiple similar albums.
What's Bad:
In terms of actual criticism, it's mostly down to taste. There's very little true fault to find with any of it.
I felt the guitar, bouzouki and piano accompaniment, particularly in the first track, unnecessarily overwhelmed the concertina. In terms of someone of Hugh's obvious talent, I felt it would have been a far nicer listening experience for the purists to hear him play on his own, unaccompanied, at some point, or at least with the accompaniment tuned back a tad.
In terms of originality, there's also nothing massively original here. Then again, it's traditional music, so if in doubt, erring towards the status quo is always a good tip.
Summary:
Solid traditional music, worth the listen.
Rating: 7.5/10
Have an album you want reviewed? Please email [email protected]
Ceolaire
Artist:
Hugh Healy
Year of Publication:
2021
Album Page:
https://hughhealy.bandcamp.com/album/ceolaire
Social Media:
Instagram https://instagram.com/hughhealymusic?utm_medium=copy_link
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hugh.healy.39
Description:
A "first solo album" for Clare concertina player Hugh Healy, who has previously released two other albums with other players ("Macalla na hÓige" with his brother Colm Healy in 2004, and "We Were Drinking and Kissing the Ladies" with noted Clare musician "Blackie" O'Connell in 2010)
Featured Musicians:
Hugh Healy - Concertina (All Tracks), Michael McCague- Guitar/Bouzouki (All Tracks); Pádraic O’Reilly - Piano (Tracks 1,3,4,6,7,8,10); John Maloney - Bodhran (Tracks 1,2,4,11); Cathy Potter- Harp (Track 8); Caroline O’Donoghue - Concertina (Track 11); Colm Healy - Accordion (Track 11), Noel O’Donoghue - Flute (Track 11), Eric Healy Fiddle (Track 11), John Kelly - Fiddle (Track 11), Johnny Kelly - Fiddle (Track 11), Dearbhladh Healy - Tin Whistle (Track 11)
BandCamp Sleeve Notes:
"Hugh Healy is a multi All-Ireland winning concertina player from Corofin Co. Clare. This is Hugh's Debut Solo album. Hugh recorded his first album, "Macalla na hÓige", in 2004 with his brother Colm and his second album, "We Were Drinking and Kissing the Ladies", with Blackie O Connell in 2010. Other than these albums, Hugh has taught and played in many festivals all over the world."
In Detail:
Many thanks to Caroline O'Donoghue for bringing this one to my attention (who I surmise is the same Caroline O'Donoghue who is listed on the album sleeve)
I haven't bought the album - so this review is entirely based off the four freely-available tracks on BandCamp. I'll amend once I've heard the other tracks.
Although it's listed as his "first solo album", none of the four tracks available for preview-listen on BandCamp are solo in the traditional sense - all are heavily accompanied. It's more a solo album in the sense that Hugh is the lead instrumentalist, and you do get a decent sense of his style and proficiency. However, if you were expecting "Pure Drop" or ASMR-type traditional music recordings that have been back in vogue the last 10-20 years, this certainly isn't it, as he does not appear to play alone for a single second.
If your exposure to concertina is Cormac Begley, you are going to find this very different - this is a far more conventional and reserved concertina player in terms of style (and I suspect background given the mention of Fleadh successes in the descriptor). The style is modern in the sense of it being in keeping with the Fleadh / Ceilí Band idea of what traditional music is, and appears to be separate from the more doggedly traditional end of the tradition, and also quite a bit away from the experimental genre-hopping edge of the tradition (Beoga / Flook / Goitse / Moxie) which have gained so much traction in the last 20-30 years.
The first track is a pair of jigs with piano, bodhran and guitar accompaniment; "The Blue Angel" and "Miss O'Sullivan's"; the second in particular is a very widely heard jig. It's well played, and carries the feel of a "Geantraí" set. Very listenable and proficient, and indeed exactly what you should listen to if you want to find out how to play this at a session.
The second track is a pair of reels; "The Sword in the Hand" and "The Widow's Daughter" - the first track is more commonly known as "Around the World For Sport" with heavy guitar accompaniment. Again, good choices of reels which suit the lead instrumentalist well.
Track #8 - Mischief Annall - is a kind of a slow tune in what can be best described as "Siansa-style" - modern, carefully played, but ultimately lacking the soul of a sean-nos melody. Heavily accompanied with piano, harp and bouzouki. Well-played, but I tolerated rather than enjoyed it.
Track #10 is probably my favourite of the free BandCamp tracks - a gorgeous couple of hornpipes in "McGivney's Fancy" and "The Birds" into the always-technical "Mathematician". Bouzouki accompaniment is very tastefully done here. Personally, I feel the natural sway of a hornpipe is lost in that particular tune, and I cannot think of a rendition of this particular tune that manages to keep it, and this is noticeable in a set of classical hornpipes. However, it's played well, and this is a good set for Hugh to demonstrate to us his obvious proficiency with the music and the instrument.
What's Good:
Technical solo melodical proficiency is very notable here, as would be expected of a multiple All-Ireland Fleadh champion. It's proficient while keeping to a very steady rhythm in the dance music tracks, and displaying obvious technical skills with careful embellishment without overdoing it.
The jig and reel sets in particular should be good reference sets for those trying to learn those particular tunes on concertina - worth checking out if you're aiming to learn any of them.
Hugh is a talented and clearly experienced player, and the tracks I have listened to are produced reasonably well. It's an album without major flaws and will fit comfortably in the pantheon of multiple similar albums.
What's Bad:
In terms of actual criticism, it's mostly down to taste. There's very little true fault to find with any of it.
I felt the guitar, bouzouki and piano accompaniment, particularly in the first track, unnecessarily overwhelmed the concertina. In terms of someone of Hugh's obvious talent, I felt it would have been a far nicer listening experience for the purists to hear him play on his own, unaccompanied, at some point, or at least with the accompaniment tuned back a tad.
In terms of originality, there's also nothing massively original here. Then again, it's traditional music, so if in doubt, erring towards the status quo is always a good tip.
Summary:
Solid traditional music, worth the listen.
Rating: 7.5/10
Have an album you want reviewed? Please email [email protected]