Bushes & Briars

Bushes & Briars

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For her foray into traditional music, American-based Irish singer Susan McKeown hasn't chosen the safe path. By including instruments like tabla, French horn, and clarinet--none of which are associated with Celtic music--she's stretching the boundaries of the genre. But the fascinating, often daring arrangements serve merely to frame her voice, which is often shown starkly, even unaccompanied. With guests like Morocco's Hassan Hakmoun, former Planxty man Andy Irvine, and Solas's Seamus Egan, she has a first-class crew behind her, but she, and her haunting voice, remain the real stars of the show, offering a radiant path to the heart of the songs here. Her selection of material (both in English and Gaelic) veers far from the tried and true, but even on a song like "Bonny Boy," she marks it with her own identity. Bushes and Briars is a complete triumph, establishing McKeown as one of the top contemporary Celtic singers. --Chris Nickson

Tracks:

Man Called Aerodynamics
Rhine Jive Click
Cut-Out Witch
Burning Flag Birthday Suit
The Official Ironmen Rally Song
To Remake The Young Flyer
No Sky
Bright Paper Werewolves
Lord Of Overstock
Your Name Is Wild
Ghosts Of A Different Dream
Acorns & Orioles
Look At Them
The Perfect Life
Underwater Explosions
Atom Eyes
Don't Stop Now
Office Of Hearts
Big Boring Wedding
It's Like Soul Man
Drag Days
Sheetkickers
Redmen And Their Wives
Take The Sky

Amazon.com

Not the ultimate album side of Bee Thousand, the album that will always be their high-water mark, Guided by Voices' Under the Bushes, Under the Stars's songs are more fully realized. Familiar bits and pieces continue to shine through, with basement Beatles and backyard Who here, and New Zealand lo-fi and acoustic Led Zepplin there. Bob Pollard and Tobon Sprout's ideas, still impeccably timeless hooks that cut through the murk to reveal the scratchy pop gem within, are examined and, maybe for the first time in the band's canon, thoroughly re-examined in the drawn-out song structures. Still, you could fit a baker's dozen of Guided by Voices tunes inside somebody else's hidden track, and have room enough left over for "Girlfriend in a Coma." Comfortably. Not all the songs stand up to the scrutiny, but the majority of GBV's tunes, as always, reveal the joy of the most minute moments that the majority of rock bands crash through while admiring the forest and missing the trees (bushes?). And no one knows the lexicon more thoroughly than GBV do. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews:

What could have been.......2006-07-26

Much hype surrounding the release of UTBUTS when it came out in the mid-90's. But I have to say it's overrated. Most of the songs won't last long. Of course, there are still some great songs on here but the change to a recording studio has also meant a decline in material, though they fortunately picked that up on later albums

mid-fi masterpiece.......2006-07-23

how do you follow up the twin lo-fi greatness of bee thousand and alien lanes? you don't. to his credit, robert pollard knew this. this is the record that comfortably straddles the band's basement past and its slick future. the resulting effort is stellar. gone is the laser-like focus of the aforementioned jewels, replaced by a dark universe where there is no joy and fear seems to be the only common thread. this is the domain of the cut-out witch. her spell is cast largely on this entire songscape. the entire record revolves around that one brilliant song. and she CAN change your life.

Perhaps Their Best.......2006-06-02

Considering how much music I've listened to and reviewed by these guys, it's surprising to recognize how little I know about them. Although I've listened to (the equivalent of) perhaps a dozen albums worth of music, I still cannot say I understand Guided By Voices, and I like that. They are a band that keeps me guessing, that forces me to listen with my wits as much as my ears, and I like that, too. With lyrics that are as opaque as a kaleidoscope, there just isn't much that is tangible enough to provide a foothold.
The most obvious trait of GBV is their tendency to take a song just past the point of creativity, and then record it, unadorned. For music fans who listen creatively, this is great fun, because it forces the listener to hear the song from an angle that is obliquely opposed to most pop music. It isn't ear candy, and without the production values that are now considered `normal' or essential for the pop marketplace, we either hear the song through the gauze of `low-fi' or we ignore it entirely. I hate to admit this, but the average Joe on the street likes his music to be provided for him; let radio rotate a few prefabricated variations on familiar themes, and Joe Public is fine with it. He would hate Guided By Voices, and the reasons are simple. The primary reason is that this band avoids the polish and sheen of production values the way that cats avoid swimming pools. I might not know much about the band themselves, but their work methods seem to be fairly obvious. After a song is written, the recording commences soon afterward. Once the song is set down, it is left in that state as if it were preserved in aspic. It's a strange methodology because it relies on the infinite possibilities of initial creation, but forces the process to end at that point.
On Under the Bushes Under the Stars, Guided By Voices allow themselves a bit more leeway with production (just a bit), and the album benefits greatly from it. After all, why can't production (or post-production, for that matter) be used as a creative tool? The five tracks that kick off the album make this point abundantly clear, with an attention to detail that is nowhere near anal, but at least shows some consideration for the intelligent songs they decorate. "Rhine Jive Click", "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" and "The Official Ironman Rally Song" sound exactly like Guided By Voices, but they also sound good enough for commercial airplay. One song, "Don't Stop Now" is a re-recording of an earlier song, and true to what I had said earlier, its arrangement remains absolutely true to the low-fi version it updates, except with a production that suits it better and makes it more appealing. These guys still might not get airplay, but after this album, I can no longer say that it is simply because the band chooses it to be that way. Who knows? If radio stations started playing "Lord of Overstock", maybe Joe Public would hum along. A Tom Ryan

GBV's melancholy masterpiece.......2005-07-26

"Under the Bushes Under the Stars" is probably not the place for a new Guided by Voices fan to get started, but in my opinion, it's their best album.

Most of the songs on "Under the Bushes" take a few listens to unfold. The whole album has a languid, melancholy feel, in contrast to the hyperactive hookiness of "Bee Thousand" and "Alien Lanes." The sound is dominated by dark, murky guitars-- almost a throwback to "Vampire on Titus," but with cleaner production. There are a few brighter tracks clustered toward the end ("Underwater Explosions" indeed), but nothing here is as sunny and instantly accessible as, say, "Echoes Myron."

Over time, though, that works to the album's advantage. It demands and rewards repeated listening, individual songs gradually breaking out of the murk and lodging themselves addictively in your brain. It's also ingeniously sequenced and paced, alternating small groups of darker songs and more upbeat tracks. The cryptic, cacophonous "Man Called Aerodynamics" distinguishes itself as one of GBV's greatest album openers, and the next couple of tracks keep the momentum going strong. "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" employs the classic Pollard trick of building from solo guitar and vocals to a startling full-band climax in barely over two minutes. The next few tracks chime and chug along in a low-key, gloomy vein, until "Your Name is Wild" and "Ghosts of a Different Dream" raise the tempo and infuse a welcome jolt of energy. The haunting, acoustic "Acorns & Orioles" brings things down again for a few more tracks, until the aforementioned "Underwater Explosions" and Tobin Sprout's "Atom Eyes" finally provide a glimpse of sunlight.

Those songs set the stage for the breathtakingly gorgeous "Don't Stop Now," for my money the best song Robert Pollard has ever written. Who else could wring such beauty and pathos from a song about a rooster named Big Daddy? "Don't Stop Now" may be a tough act to follow but "Office of Hearts" is up to the task, closing the album on a dissonant, slightly unsettling note.

But wait, this is a Guided by Voices album, which means we have six more tracks that happened to be lying around and got tacked on the end. These extra songs may not exactly fit into the vibe established by the album proper, but they're worthy additions, "Big Boring Wedding" and the exuberant "Drag Days" standing out in particular.

"Under the Bushes Under the Stars" encompasses all sides of GBV, from solo fragments like "Bright Paper Werewolves" to intricate rockers like "Cut-Out Witch" to weird experiments like "Take to the Sky" to loud chug-fests like "Lord of Overstock," but wraps it all in a coherent and compelling package. Robert Pollard's lyrics throughout the album are some of the most cryptic and intriguing in his entire catalog. "Under the Bushes" is decidedly darker in tone than most Guided by Voices albums, and it may take a few listens to grow on you, but if you let it sink in you'll find GBV's richest and most rewarding album.

Mid-Fi GbV. Rock! "Pass the word....the chicks are back!".......2004-08-15

This is probably my favorite GbV album along with Bee Thousand right now. This was my first, but I didn't like it...til I got a "feel" for GbV. The songs are catchy and awesome in mid-fi. This was the the Last album with Tobin and the old GbV. Tobin wrote some awesome songs that stood out on here(does he ever not). "Atom Eyes", "Remake The Young Flyer" and my fave "It's Like Soul Man". Classic Tobin right there!

Pollard is always the man...with awesome tunes like opener "Man Called Aerodynamics", the sincere "No Sky", Led Zeppelin-esque acoustic "Bright Paper Werewolves", my other fave "Your Name is Wild", Behind Blue Eyes intro of "Acorn and Orioles", the strange "Look at Them", etc. But the best part is the unlisted songs that the band rushed on. "Big Boring Wedding" is supreme!

Olde English Madrigals & Folk Songs at Ely Cathedral

Average customer rating:

Music for the masses
Beautiful but perhaps overly solemn for some selections
A tasteful and beautiful collection

Olde English Madrigals & Folk Songs at Ely Cathedral

Manufacturer: American Gramaphone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

All At Once Well Met: English Madrigals; The King's Singers
English and Italian Renaissance Madrigals
English Madrigals and Songs
The Fairie Round
Madrigal History Tour

ASIN: B0000005MB
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Come Away, Sweet Love
Weep, O Mine Eyes
Fair Phyllis I Saw
Now Is The Month Of Maying
Fairwell, Dear Love
April Is In My Mistress' Face
Draw On, Sweet Night
Sing We At Pleasure
My Bonnie Lass She Smileth
The Silver Swan
Mother, I Will Have A Husband
Dainty Fine Bird
As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending
I Love My Love
My Sweetheart's Like Venus
Bushes And Briars
The Turtle Dove
The Three Ravens
Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron
O Waly, Waly
Greensleeves

Customer Reviews:

Music for the masses.......2005-09-25

This disc is a bit different from many of the Cambridge Singers' discs in that it is exclusively secular songs. They have retained one of their favourite recording spaces, the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, a structure well atuned to a capella singing (it has a natural nine second delay in the cathedral). This recording was John Rutter's first album on American Gramaphone Records.

--Music--
Madrigals are songs that have various purposes. They can be for private or public entertainment; they can be together with dramatic performances or played on their own. Petrarch is the inspiration of many madrigal texts, and folk songs also feature significantly. The English Madrigal School took full bloom during the golden age of Elizabeth; by the middle of the seventeenth century, the era of composition of the madrigal was essentially over. However, they have remained a popular pieces for performance, and many modern composers have arranged them, including on this disc Holst, Vaughan Williams and the Cambridge Singers director, Rutter.

Madrigals are often upbeat, happy, sometimes poignant, and lively. Some madrigals incorporate humour and jokes. There are exceptions to all of these, to be sure, including among the songs on this disc. Perhaps the best known madrigal in modern times, Greensleeves, is presented as the last piece on this disc, here in an arrangement by Vaughan Williams. There are lively emotions and sombre tones here, all sung with grace and consistent quality.

--Liner Notes--
Unlike many of the Cambridge Singers' CDs' liner notes, this one has a biographical sketch of John Rutter, a description of the setting at Ely Cathedral, a listing of the singers, and an essay about madigrals. Also unlike other CDs of theirs, this one does not include the words to the songs, a missing piece that would be helpful for many of the songs.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

--The Cambridge Singers--
The Cambridge Singers are a mixed choir of voices, many of whom were members of choir of Rutter's college, Clare College, Cambridge. While they specialise in English and Latin liturgical pieces, they have a wide range of recordings that span from modern compositions (including a remarkable requiem by Rutter) to English folk songs of the Middle Ages. Many are former members of the choir of Clare College and other Cambridge collegiate choirs (hence the name, Cambridge Singers). In the quarter-century since the founding, the Cambridge Singers have produced an impressive body of recordings.

This is a fun and fabulous recording.

Beautiful but perhaps overly solemn for some selections.......2002-10-19

The splendor of these arrangements and the setting confer on all of these traditional madrigals (and some newer arrangements: Side B is dominated by twentieth century arrangements) a certain solemnity and a certain stately pace (so the lyrics are not lost in the echo of the cathedral).

This leaves a strange effect on some selections, such as "Now Is The Month of Maying," which is about, um, springtime urges and here sounds oddly like a mass.

A tasteful and beautiful collection.......2001-08-21

This disc furthers my belief that madrigals are the best forum for a capella voice. Each song is unique and beautiful, and the sequencing allows a very smooth flow. Better-known works such as "Month of Maying" or "April is in my Mistress' Face" are perhaps most representative of the style, but included here are many lesser-known gems that you're sure to enjoy. The Cambridge Singers use their obviously well-honed skills to great results, from the more frivolous tracks to the darker, more solemn ones. Very highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful wind ensemble music

Celebrations

Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
ASIN: B000003JVY
Release Date: 1995-11-20

Tracks:

March Carillon
Chorale And Alleluia
A Movement For Rosa
Chorale Prelude: Be Thou My Vision
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: Stranger
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: I Celebrate Myself
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: You Who Celebrate Bygones
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: There Is That In Me
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: Sing Me The Universal
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: Flaunt Out, O Sea
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: I Sing The Body Electric
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: Clear Midnight
Celebrations - For Chorus And Wind Ensemble: Voyage
Variants On An Advent Hymn: Theme And Variation I
Variants On An Advent Hymn: Variation II
Variants On An Advent Hymn: Variation III
Variants On An Advent Hymn: Variation IV
Themes From 'Greenbushes'
Escape From Plato's Cave: The Cave, The Struggle And The Man From The Light!
Escape From Plato's Cave: Message Of The Man (The Fragile Heart)
Escape From Plato's Cave: Escape...Into The Light!

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful wind ensemble music.......2003-06-29

This treasure of a CD features some beautiful wind ensemble music, which really should receive more attention in the mainstream. Not your typical Sousa CD, this features the wind ensemble at its best, with both sections of the full, gorgeous ensemble sound and solo sections featuring the individual tone colors that contribute to the unique ensemble sound. The emotional capacity of this type of ensemble is huge, and this CD demonstrates that well. I would certainly recommend this CD to any lovers of band music and classical music, particularly those who enjoy the Romantic and 20th century composers who tend to use the winds to a fuller extent.

Average customer rating:

exelent an easy 5

Something Gonna Jump out the Bushes
Nappy Brown
Manufacturer: Black Top Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Jump Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Tore Up
Night Time Is the Right Time
Old School
What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)

ASIN: B000006KSR
Release Date: 1997-02-18

Tracks:

Have Mercy, Mercy Baby!
Dirty Work
I'm With You All The Way
Something Gonna Jump Out The Bushes
You Mean More To Me Than Gold
Flamingo
My Jug And I
Life's Ups And Downs
Your Love Is Real
You Were A Long Time Coming
Nothing Takes The Place Of You
I'm Walking Out On You

Customer Reviews:

exelent an easy 5.......2005-07-24

out of all the nappy brown i,ve heard this is the best with anson funderburgh & ronnie earl doing all the guitar work, great vocals and song selection. will not dissapoint for sure.

Percy Grainger: The Complete Piano Music

Average customer rating:

Every last note...

Percy Grainger: The Complete Piano Music

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Boccherini: Clavier Quintets (Complete)
Couperin: 4 Livres de pièces de clavecin [Box Set]
Bach: Complete Works - 155 CD Box Set

ASIN: B0000037AX
Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

Handel In The Strand
Bridal Lullaby
English Waltz
Mock Morris
To A Nordic Princess
In A Nutshell-Ste: I. Arrival Platform Humlet
In A Nutshell-Ste: II. Gay But Wistful
In A Nutshell-Ste: III. Pastoral
In A Nutshell-Ste: IV. 'The Gum-Suckers' March
Peace
Saxon Twi-Play
Andante Con Moto
Children's March
The Immovable Do
Sailor's Song
Colonial Song
Walking Tune
Harvest Hymn
In Dahomey

Tracks:

b flat Pno Con (Opening)
Cradle-Song
Love Walked In
Second Pno Con (3rd Movt)
Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part
Nimrod
Ramble On The Last Love-Duet
Chinese Melody-Beautiful Fresh Flower
Paraphrase On The Flower Waltz
Lullaby From 'Tribute To Foster'
American Song-The Rag-Time Girl
'Blithe Bells'
Fugue In a
The Man I Love

Tracks:

Country Gardens
The Merry King
Molly On The Shore
Irish Tune From County Derry
Knight And Shepard's Daughter
The Nightingale And The Two Sisters
Jutish Medley
Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol
The Rival Brothers
Near Woodstock Town
Will Ye Gang To The Hielands, Lizzie Lindsay
The Brisk Young Sailor
One More Day My John (Easy Version)
Rimmer And Goldcastle
Spoon River
The Widow's Party
The Hunter In His Career
My Robin Is To The Greenwood Gone
Died For Love
Scotch Strathspey
One More Day My John (Complex Version)
Bristol Town
Hard-Hearted Barb'ra Helen
Mo Ninghean Dhu
Lisbon (Dublin Bay)
Stalt Vesselil
O Gin I Were Where Gowrie Rins
Shepard's Hey

Tracks:

Four Irish Dances: I. A March-Jig
Four Irish Dances: II. A Slow Dance
Four Irish Dances: III. The Leprechaun's Dance
Four Irish Dances: IV. A Reel
Nell
Apres Un Reve
Pno Con, First Movt
Tiger-Tiger
Air And Dance
Hornpipe
Toccata And Fugue in d
Lullaby From 'Tribute To Foster' (Easy Grainger)
Angelus Ad Virginem
Klavierstuck in E
Eastern Intermezzo
The Bigelow March
Pno Con, First Movt
At Twilight
Klavierstuck in a
Klavierstuck in B Flat
Klavierstuck in D

Tracks:

Children's March: 'Over The Hills And Far Away'
Up-Country Song (Colonial Song)
English Dance
Ye Banks And Braes O' Bonnie Doon
'Spoon River'-American Folk Dance
Train Music
Zanzibar Boat-Song
Paganini Varations, No.12
Green Bushes-Passacaglia On An English Folksong
William Byrd's Air And Variations For The Virginals 'The Carman's Whistle'
'A Dance Rhapsody'
Girl Crazy: Embraceable You
The Warriors-Music To An Imaginary Ballet

Customer Reviews:

Every last note..........2006-06-14

A super budget 5 CD collection of all of Grainger's Piano music.
Every last note!
The shipping alone would be $17.00+ for the 5 individual Cds.
Englishman Martin Jones plays these as if he wrote them. He is thoroughly inside this music.
I think his best work to date.
He is joined on CD #5 by Richard Mcmahon and Phillip Martin. Where they rollick in various combos and trios on 1, 2 and 3 pianos. This is exhilerating. Especially on an truly uplifting version of Green Bushes.
The entire set is strongly idiomatic and given a clear, crisp, warm and spacious recording. FIRST CLASS sound.
There are too many highlights to single out, but the In A Nutshell Suite and Green Bushes are especially GOOD!
There is not a bad note or "vibe" on any of these CDs.
Highly recommended for Granger fans and fans of English Piano Music.

Average customer rating:

Grainger: Works for Pianos, Volume Ten

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Grainger: Works for Solo Piano 1
The Grainger Edition Vol. 18: Works For Unaccompanied Chorus
Grainger Edition Vol 13 - Works for Chamber Ensemble
Percy Grainger Edition, Vol. 1: Orchestral Works
Grainger: Works for Wind Orchestra 2

ASIN: B00000I0TL
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

Green Bushes [BFMS No. 25]
Let's Dance Gay In Green Meadow [FI Unnum.]
In Bristol Town [BFMS Unnum.]
English Dance
Zanzibar Boat Song [RMTB No.6]
'The Widows Party' March
Ye Banks And Braes O' Bonnie Doon [BFMS No. 31]
Jutish Medley
Harvest Hymn
Country Gardens [BFMS No. 22]
Random Round [RMTB No.8]
The Keel-Row [BFMS Unnum.]
The Warriors

Average customer rating:

Traditional Irish songs from a great voice
Beautiful and haunting traditional singing
hearing is believing
A wonderful discovery
truly one of the finest folk/Celtic records avaliable today

Bushes & Briars
Susan McKeown
Manufacturer: Alula
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Lowlands
Sweet Liberty
Blackthorn: Irish Love Songs
Bones
Mother: Songs Celebrating Mothers & Motherhood

ASIN: B000003U9P
Release Date: 1998-02-03

Tracks:

Bushes & Briars
In London So Fair
Driving The Calves
Little One
Bonny Boy
The Mountain Streams Where The Moorcocks Crow
Banks Of Claudy
Craigie Hill
A Mhaire Bhruinneall
Donal Og
After Aughrim

Amazon.com

For her foray into traditional music, American-based Irish singer Susan McKeown hasn't chosen the safe path. By including instruments like tabla, French horn, and clarinet--none of which are associated with Celtic music--she's stretching the boundaries of the genre. But the fascinating, often daring arrangements serve merely to frame her voice, which is often shown starkly, even unaccompanied. With guests like Morocco's Hassan Hakmoun, former Planxty man Andy Irvine, and Solas's Seamus Egan, she has a first-class crew behind her, but she, and her haunting voice, remain the real stars of the show, offering a radiant path to the heart of the songs here. Her selection of material (both in English and Gaelic) veers far from the tried and true, but even on a song like "Bonny Boy," she marks it with her own identity. Bushes and Briars is a complete triumph, establishing McKeown as one of the top contemporary Celtic singers. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Traditional Irish songs from a great voice.......2004-02-05

The second CD from which Susan McKeown took material from for her 24 January concert at San Juan College, which I attended, is Bushes & Briars, which consists mainly of traditional Celtic music. Again, McKeown's instrumentation doesn't consist merely of the usual flutes, fiddle, bodhran, and Uileann pipes, but also guitar, tablas, a French horn, and a clarinet. And her folky sound again recalls Natalie Merchant, but there are shades of acts such as Clannad or Maire Brennan.

The title track not only refers to the ones the protagonist goes through to enjoy hearing the birds sing but the bushes and briars that exist in the heart and between the gender roles: "But if I should go unto my love/my love he may say nay/if i show to him my boldness/he'll ne'er love me again."

McKeown began her set by singing the a capella "Bonny Boy" that truly demonstrated her vocal power. Then, before launching into the mid-paced "In London So Fair," she explained the maritime transvestism that went on, of women wishing a better life and seeking a life of adventure by disguising themselves as men. Well, one woman does such a thing to be with her man in this story song, even sharing the same cabin with her man until one day, he says "You're like a lover of mine... I left on the shore long ago." She then reveals herself, they get married, and they spend the rest of their lives travelling over the sea. Those were the only two songs from this album she sang live, the rest of which is stunning.

"H-O Abha-inn" is a lullaby, complete with Uileann pipes and bodhran that has a mid-paced rocking melody.

The harmonic drone of the tambura and a tabla permeate in "The Mountain Streams Where The Moorcocks Crow" of a roving man who meets a charming woman. She refuses his offer of courtship, but he promises that maybe they'll meet again some other time and things will be different.

The quiet and softly melodic "Banks Of Claudy" sounds just like something out of a fable, of a man (sung in the first person) who meets a woman looking for her lover Johnny, whom he knows as undependable and tells her his ship was wrecked on Spain. The woman still vows to hunt for him no matter what. But what a punchline! One of the standout cuts.

Another quiet guitar number "Craigie Hill" tells of the American emigration the Irish underwent after losing their land. The title place is what the immigrant is saying farewell to.

McKeown discovered "A Mhaire Bhruinneall" from a Clannad recording. Sung in Celtic, the repeated refrain highlights unrequited love: "You killed me forever/you weakened me entirely/and all alive to me/you broke my heart." This upbeat drum and guitar number is quite a contrast to the haunting "Donal Og."

One will get a bit of Irish history in the acoustic guitar ballad "After Aughrim", where Irish Catholics were crushed at Aughrim in 1691 by a host of Protestant forces including their own people. The survivors fled to France, still a Catholic country under Louis XIV. The final verse has the exiles someday wishing to stage another comeback against the Protestants.

As I learned in her concert, McKeown keeps searching for traditional Irish songs as a part of her heritage, and given this collection, she's done herself proud.

Beautiful and haunting traditional singing.......2002-06-21

Susan McKeown is one of those recommended to Enya's fans and she also is compared to Loreena McKinnett, but don't be mislead by the comparisons. She is unique in her interpretation of traditional celtic melodies.

The instrumental backing certainly isn't your traditional celtic sound, including guitar, tuba, tabla, french horn along with the more to be expected fiddle, whistles, and pipes. The important thing is that it works. The unusual instrumental blend highlights her haunting voice.

The songs themselves are wistful, longing, but not tragic...ballads of love and loyalty. Listen especially to the title song "Bushes & Briars", "In London So Fair", "Bonny Boy", "Banks of Claudy", and "After Augrim", but if you enjoy traditional celtic, you will enjoy each and every one. This receives my highest recommendation.

hearing is believing.......2002-02-18

After buying "Lowlands" I went online and looked up Susan's other albums, then bought B&B. The combination of her voice and the melodies just knock me out. Although I am less enamoured of her earlier work, I recommend these two and look forward to another in the future. Fortunately you can use your own ears and if thirty seconds per works for you, go for it.

A wonderful discovery.......2000-03-10

I'm not shopping for an Audi, but the music behind their "Father & Daughter" commercial caught my ear. I thought it was Maura O'Connell, maybe, but I found out (via e-mail) that the music was from 'Bushes & Briars,' and promptly bought the CD.

I listened to it for the first time last night. It was nice to hear the entire length of "H-O Abha-Inn" (Little One) instead of just the snippet from the commercial.

I really enjoyed the updated arrangements of traditional songs, especially "Mountain Streams Where the Moorcocks Crow".

If you're a fan -- as I am -- of Loreena McKennitt, you'll love this CD.

truly one of the finest folk/Celtic records avaliable today.......2000-01-29

This record is breathtaking; Susan's unique ear for arrangement brings to life the traditional songs, forming them into stunning echoes of today's sound united ultimately to the centuries-old ideals that created them. It is complete. When listening you are both transported forward and backward in time by her effortless alto.

Average customer rating:

a voice teacher and early music fan
Songs that Never Fade
Heavenly, introspective, definitely the most soulful songs!

Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams - Along the Field on Wenlock Edge · Merciless Beauty · Ten Blake Songs, and others / Ainsley · The Nash Ensemble
Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music · Five Mystical Songs · Fantasia on Christmas Carols · Flos Campi / Sixtieen Soloists · Thomas Allen · Nobuko Imai · Corydon Singers · ECO · Matthew Best
Vaughan Williams: Willow Wood
Vaughan Williams: Complete Concertos
Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem/Four Hymns/Toward The Unknown Region/O Clap Your Hands/Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Re

ASIN: B000002ZVP
Release Date: 1995-11-21

Tracks:

Over Hill, Over Dale: Loch Lomond
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: Full Fathom Five
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: The Cloud-Capp'd Towers
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Shakespeare Songs: Over Hill, Over Dale
Over Hill, Over Dale: Alister McAlphine's Lament
Over Hill, Over Dale: An Acre Of Land
Over Hill, Over Dale: The Seeds Of Love
Over Hill, Over Dale: Ca' The Yowes
Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Dark-Eyed Sailor
Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Spring Time Of The Year
Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: Just The Tide Was Flowing
Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: The Lover's Ghost
Over Hill, Over Dale: Five English Folk Songs: Wassail Song
Over Hill, Over Dale: The Winter Is Gone
Over Hill, Over Dale: Mannin Veen
Over Hill, Over Dale: Bushes And Briars
Over Hill, Over Dale: Down Among The Dead Men
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: Sweet Day
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: O Mistress Mine
Over Hill, Over Dale: Three Elizabethan Partsongs: The Willow Song
Over Hill, Over Dale: Greensleeves
Over Hill, Over Dale: Rest
Over Hill, Over Dale: Heart's Music
Over Hill, Over Dale: Come Away, Death
Over Hill, Over Dale: The Turtle Dove

Amazon.com

Even without his highly regarded symphonies, various instrumental works, and monumental and influential work on the revision of the English Hymnal, Vaughan Williams would have made a major impact on 20th-century music with his many original choral works and his folksong arrangements. In fact, Vaughan Williams's folksong-collecting work was one of the more important contributions ever made to English music. This disc offers a wonderful collection of a cappella choral pieces, including some of Vaughan Williams's finest folksong arrangements. Besides "Ca' the yowes," "Full fathom five," "Greensleeves," and "The Turtle Dove," the program includes rarely heard masterpieces such as "Alister McAlpine's Lament," which brilliantly captures the mood of the song with serene, sensual harmonies and gently flowing vocal lines. The Holst Singers seem born to this music, giving us the music's full flavor without ever overplaying it. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-07-21

Ralph Vaughan-Williams loved "the lilt of the chorus at the music hall...children dancing to a barrel organ, the rousing fervor of a Salvation Army Hymn, St.Paul's and a great choir singing at one of its festivals...the Welshmen striking up one of their own hymns...the cries of street pedlars, the factory girls singing their sentimental songs." This disc somehow reflects all of these influences. I think it makes him a true folksong specialist!!!The music included herein covers the whole of the composer's long career-from "The Willow Song"written when he was eighteen, to "Heart's Music",composed three years before his death at the age of eighty-six. The Holst Singers along with the two soloists:Ian Bostridge (tenor) and Michael George (bass)are very excellent in their renditions. The choir is perfection in balance, diction, ensemble and emotional content. Bostridge with his sweet and pure tenor almost moves one to tears especially in "Greensleeves" and "Ca'the yowes". And Michael George was also very moving in his solo:"Loch Lomond". It is as if the entire performing group were aware of a statement made by Vaughan-Williams before his death: "if the roots of your art are firmly planted in your own soil, and that soil has anything to give you, you may still gain the whole world and not lose your own souls."

Songs that Never Fade.......2005-11-21

A selection of the best of RVW's folksong arrangements performed with insight and restraint by the Holst Singers, with help from soloists like the incomparable Ian Bostridge. Vaughan William's respect for these folksongs is evident in his exquisite settings, which reveal their depth and subtlety, without obscuring their simplicity.

This is a recording to cherish.

Heavenly, introspective, definitely the most soulful songs!.......2003-03-16

This collection of English and Scottish folk songs moved me to tears and made me experience a plethora of emotions over and over again. The beautiful melodies flowing from this CD conjure up melacholy, joy, sadness and wonder. They crystalise the most common human experiences and the mystery of existence into certain folksong idioms that, once listened to, will stick in your ears and stir your heart strings for a long time.

Salute to Vaughan Williams for documenting, preserving and arranging these gems of English and Scottish heritage. Holst singers performe splendidly. Their discipline and professionalism, and a sense of artistic direction shine through.

I highly recommend this CD along with John Rutter's "The Lark in the Clear Air" for all the sensitive people who take interest in classical music and traditional folk songs.

I wish I can give this CD 10 stars!