One is left in little doubt at the outset that Blackwater marks a significant change in the career of Altan, the best-selling act in the history of U.S.
Celtic independent label Green Linnet.
Even before you notice that the album is not on Green Linnet and that the group has moved up to major label Virgin, and even before you consult the personnel list and the liner notes to find, if you didn't already know, that group co-founder Frankie Kennedy has died of cancer since the last album, you look at the album cover, a portrait of lead singer/fiddler Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill with the rest of the group miniaturized and pushed into a corner, and you can see that things have changed.
This is not to say that Blackwater is simply a Ní Dhomhnaill solo album in the guise of an Altan album, though certainly one misses Kennedy's flute work and her vocals are quite prominent.
In fact, the album is another well-chosen and well-played collection of largely traditional songs, jigs, and reels, and it should continue to please the group's fans.
One can only assume that Virgin thought it was buying a world music crossover act like Clannad, though Altan has none of Clannad's pop or new age tendencies.
More than likely, they'll be back on an indie soon enough, and one hopes no worse for wear.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny Boyle's/King of the PipersTraditional | Altan | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | Dark Haired Lass/Biddy from Muckross/Sean Maguire'sTraditional | Altan | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Stor a Stor a GhraTraditional | Altan | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Strathspey/Con Mcginley's/The Newfoundland ReelTraditional | Altan | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | An Gasur Mor/Bunker Hill/Dogs Among the BushesTraditional | Altan | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Molly Na Gcuach Ni ChuilleanáinTraditional | Altan | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Jenny Picking Cockles/Farewell to Leitrim/John Doherty'sTraditional | Altan | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | The Dance of the Honey BeesCharlie Lennon | Altan | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | BlackwatersideTraditional | Altan | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | A Tune for FrankieMairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Traditional | Altan | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | Tá Mé 'Mo Shuí | Altan | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 12 | Ar Bhruach Na Carraige Báine | Altan | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 39 mins | 91 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 250 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Altan | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Máire Breatnach | Viola |
| 3 | Dermot Byrne | Accordion, Arranger, Melodeon, Melodion |
| 4 | Annette Cleary | Cello |
| 5 | Steve Cooney | Fretless Bass, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Ciarán Curran | Arranger, Bouzouki, Guitar |
| 7 | Conan Doyle | Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Jimmy Higgins | Bodhran, Clay Drums, Darbouka, Drums, Drums (Snare), Wood Block |
| 9 | David James | Cello |
| 10 | Tommy Kane | Viola |
| 11 | Mark Kelly | Arranger, Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Charlie Lennon | Composer |
| 13 | Dónal Lunny | Arranger, Bodhran, Bouzouki, Guest Artist, Keyboards |
| 14 | Brian Masterson | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 15 | Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill | Guest Artist, Piano, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh | Arranger, Composer, Fiddle, Vocals |
| 17 | Maighread Ní Dhomnaill | Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Anna Ní Mhaonaigh | Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Brendan Power | Guest Artist, Harmonica |
| 20 | David Scheinmann | Photography |
| 21 | Daíthí Sproule | Arranger, Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Ciarán Tourish | Arranger, Fiddle, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Human), Whistle (Instrument) |
| 23 | Traditional | Composer |
| 24 | Fiachra Trench | String Arrangements |
Altan
2015 - 14 tracks
The Widening Gyre - Altan, Alison Brown, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Jim Higgins, Kenny Malone
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |