Sean Nós - song, sung in the "old style". It's a traditional form of singing from Ireland. A capalla, for sure, with much vocal decoration.
Nua, means new. And Sinéad O'Connor takes a new look at some traditional Irish songs, ballads. The result can't really be called "Sean Nós", for the songs are accompanied by music, played by some of the finest musicians to be found. Nor is the characteristic vocal athleticism demonstrated by traditional Sean Nós singers in evidence.
And yet, and yet... There's an old flavor to Sinéad O'Connor's interpretation of the songs, some of which I remember from my childhood ("I'll tell me Ma" and "Báidín Fheilimí" - I'm looking at you two). We'd sing them in the car as, as a family, we went on drives through the Wicklow countryside south of Dublin.
And so, a "new" take on the "old style".
Sean Nós - Nua.
I think I've heard Sinéad O'Connor sing before. It's nice when a new interpretation of old songs appear and do not destroy the originality of them.
ReplyDeleteShe does a nice job with these songs, Helen. Her "Molly Malone" is was a wonderful surprise. There's a lot on this album to support Chesterton's assertion that "...all their songs are sad."
DeleteSinéad O'Connor has such a distinctive voice. I wish there were clips of the tracks on Amazon to listen to. I guess they only do that with MP3s.
ReplyDeleteHer voice lends itself very well, Laura, to these songs.
DeleteTry http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Sean-N-s-Nua/Sin-ad-OConnor/e/15707972420 - B&N has samples of the tracks.
Thank you both for the comments.
Hello, KjM! I love good Irish and Celtic singers and music so I enjoyed this post! I have a couple of Sinéad O'Connor's songs on my iPod.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. :) Have a lovely week and happy A to Z!!
Hello Laura, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. And even more that you enjoy good Irish music. You'll find a lot of it on this CD.
DeleteThank you for the comment.