Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona Mackenzie – Tuath – Songs of the Northlands (Naxos World Music, 2020)
Tuath – Songs of the Northlands celebrates the connections between the northern European traditions of the Gaels and their nearby Atlantic neighbors. Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie are two extraordinary artists who live in northeastern Scotland. Both are outstanding singers and songwriters and some of the best voices in the world of Gaelic language.
Although the music in Tuath is rooted in the traditions of Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Galicia (Spain), Ó hEadhra, Mackenzie and their colleagues masterfully combine acoustic instruments with delightful and mesmerizing subtle electronic elements, including dreamtime ambient layers. The sound design was finely crafted by highly talented musician and composer Mike Vass.
The material includes traditional songs as well as original pieces. Ó hEadhra and Mackenzie regularly sing in Scottish and Irish Gaelic. On Tuath they also sing in Danish, Norwegian, and Galician (a northwestern Spanish language closely related to Castilian and Portuguese).
The lineup includes Fiona Mackenzie on vocals; Brian Ó hEadhra on vocals and bodhrán; Mike Vass on fiddle, vocals, tenor guitar, banjo, percussion, electronics; Tom Gibbs on keyboards, piano; Innes White on guitar; Órla Ní Eadhra on vocals and Róise Ní Eadhra on vocals.
More about Brian Ó hEadhra
Buy Tuath – Songs of the Northlands
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.