The Edge of Silence

The Edge of Silence

The Edge of Silence

The Edge of Silence

CD

$19.99 
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Overview

From the beginning, Solas has been a group that likes to mix it up, blending traditional Celtic melodies with an updated instrumental approach, but their fourth album, 2000's The Hour Before Dawn, found them moving away from the passionate jigs and reels of their earlier work into a more introspective style. The group's fifth disc, The Edge of Silence, finds them venturing even farther down this path; the sessions were produced by Solas leader Seamus Egan in collaboration with Neil Dorfsman, who has previously worked with Dire Straits and Sting, and it's certainly the group's most polished and stylistically diverse work to date. Many of the selections sound as if they're more strongly influenced by new age atmospherics and moody pop styles than anything in the lexicon of traditional Celtic music, and even the most trad-style numbers (such as "Charmy Chaplin" and "Legless") sound significantly more streamlined than this group did on their earlier work; the languid drift of "Black Annis," the subtly anthemic melodicism of their take on Bob Dylan's "Dignity," and electronic percussion textures of "Darkness, Darkness" make it clear Solas are governed less by Irish music's past than their own creative vision of the future. Which is to say that some of the purists who embraced the group's earlier work may be a bit put off by the glossy surfaces and pop-friendly melodies on The Edge of Silence, and once in a while one does miss the bracing fire of something like "The Yellow Tinker/Cranking Out/Master Crowley's #2" from their debut. But the material is strong; this band plays with grace and real passion (fiddler Winifred Horan, guitarist Donal Clancy, and accordionist Mick McAuley are all in superb form), and Deirdre Scanlan's vocals are a thing of beauty. If Solas are moving closer to pop music on The Edge of Silence, they're clearly doing so on their own terms, and with their talents and sense of creative daring very much intact. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date: 02/12/2002
Label: Shanachie
UPC: 0016351784629
Rank: 124619

Tracks

  1. Darkness, Darkness
  2. Charmy Chaplin
  3. Medley
  4. Who's in the What Now
  5. Dignity
  6. The Poison Jester's Mask
  7. Maybe in a Prayer
  8. Beck Street
  9. Clothes of Sand
  10. Medley

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Solas   Primary Artist
Ben Wittman   Drums,Piano,Percussion
Donal Clancy   Guitar,Bouzouki
Seamus Egan   Banjo,Flute,Piano,Low Whistle,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Nylon String)
Antje Duvekot   Vocal Harmony
Chico Huff   Bass (Electric)
Mick McAuley   Piano-Accordian,Button Accordion,Vocals,Low Whistle
Winifred Horan   Viola,Fiddle,Vocals
Duke Levine   Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Deirdre Scanlan   Vocals

Technical Credits

Ted Jensen   Mastering
Bob Dylan   Composer
Jon Kaplan   Digital Producer
John Anthony   Mixing
Donal Clancy   Arranger
Seamus Egan   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Nick Drake   Composer
Winifred Horan   Arranger
Mick McAuley   Arranger
David West   Arranger
Peter Lubin   A&R
Neil Dorfsman   Mixing,Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Bill Racide   Assistant
Jeff Jakubowski   Assistant
Didem Atahan   Graphic Design
Bill Synan   Assistant
Damien Shannon   Assistant
Colin Lane   Photography
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