Celtic Thunder - Voyage Review

Voyage expands on the themes explored on Celtic Thunder's 2011 Heritage project by offering a balanced mix of both old and contemporary regional songs. While the collection may take numerous detours into AOR pop territory with typically lush, unapologetically schmaltzy renditions of radio hits like Billy Joel's "She's Always a Woman to Me" and Air Supply's "All Out of Love," the roots of the project are firmly planted in traditional soil, and tracks like "Dulaman," "Seven Drunken Nights," and "Maid of Culmore" stand out from the others like a peat fire in the Arizona desert....full text So with all of these vocal styles combining together onto a record, it would seem that everyone singing a song together would be difficult. Well, it isn’t. Heartland, which opens the album, is phenomenal. The tribal like instrumentation and the epic chorus makes this another highlight. Steal Away is quite unique as each member gets to sing a verse of their own. Finally Ireland’s Call is a song that could me misinterpreted as the Irish National Anthem. It just has that country brotherhood feel to it that would make Irish individuals proud of their country. We talk about stadium anthems and other songs that get crowds pumped up for the music, but this takes it to a different level. In fact, the Irish National Rugby Team uses this as their theme song.

Celtic Thunder’s debut is a marvel to listen to. From the great vocals, to the insane orchestration, this has everything to merit a classic rating. The only thing keeping it from that is the instances where the album drags on and gets a bit boring, though the orchestra is marvelous during the boring parts. I am definitely looking forward to a follow up album from this group. Just goes to show that combining all aspects of Irish music lore makes it musically tremendous....full text Voyage follows in the footsteps of Heritage, featuring songs ranging from both soloist to ensemble focuses. The album is particularly highlighted by a few key tracks like the emotional number Maid Of Culmore. The orchestral sounds and dueling vocals that drive Maid Of Culmore are found throughout the album and really gives you a sense of the diversity that the group sought in recording Voyage. Celtic Thunder also seem to have a lot of fun thinking outside the box on Voyage as they even included an impeccable cover of the classic Harry Chapin song Cat’s In The Cradle, providing a new twist on an old classic.
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