Wells for Zo¿¿ -- Water for Life

by Wells For Zoe: Water For Life /

Overview

Musically speaking, this type of project is fraught with danger. Whenever an album is put together in the service of a cause -- especially one as urgently important as a well-creation program in Malawi -- two things are almost inevitable: first, musical quality will take a back seat to the emotional appeal (because after all, what's musical quality when compared to a life-and-death struggle for water?), and second, at least half of the contributing artists will somehow end up singing mawkishly about themselves and their own global sensitivity (remember "We Are the World"?). Wells for Zoe -- Water for Life manages to avoid both pitfalls by a couple of ingenious stratagems. The first is by being mostly a compilation of previously released material bound together by themes related to water and wells: thus, flutist Michael McGoldrick contributes a recording of his original composition "Watermans," Crooked Still contributes a song called "Wading Deep Waters," and Eamonn Coyne and Kris Drever bring the "Lakeside Barndances" set from their Honk Toot Suite album. The new recordings featured here avoid bathos by employing sly humor: Maura O'Connell and the Duhks team up on a roof-raising version of "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves," and the Sinead O'Connor/Liam O Maonlai collaboration "Baby, Let Me Buy You a Drink" (though much less energetic) is also cute -- though it must be said that O'Connor's voice has seen better days. Heidi Talbot's rendition of the gorgeous Boo Hewerdine song "Muddy Water" is perhaps the album's high point, though the Alison Brown Quartet's joyously swinging "Wonderful Sea Voyage (Of Holy St. Brendan)" is a gem as well. Overall, this ends up being an album that is worthy on its own merits as well as being a worthy contribution to an important cause. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	01/13/2009
Label:	Compass
UPC:	0766397449326
Rank:	175400

Tracks

1. Well for Zo¿¿
2. Baby, Let Me Buy You a Drink
3. Cumbia Celtica
4. Wading Deep Waters
5. Watermans
6. Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves
7. The Wonderful Sea Voyage (Of Holy St. Brendan)
8. I Find Your Love
9. Just in Case of Accidents
10. The Lakeside Barndances
11. This Love Will Carry
12. Muddy Water

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dougie MacLean   Primary Artist
The Duhks   Primary Artist
Beth Nielsen Chapman   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Paul Brady   Primary Artist
Alison Brown Quartet   Primary Artist
Kris Drever   Primary Artist,Guitar,Double Bass
Karine Polwart   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Tim O'Brien   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Mandolin
Maura O'Connell   Primary Artist,Vocals
John Doyle   Primary Artist,Guitar
Crooked Still   Primary Artist
Salsa Celtica   Primary Artist
Heidi Talbot   Primary Artist,Vocals
Michael McGoldrick   Primary Artist,Low Whistle,Bamboo Flute,Flute (Wood),Uillean Pipes
Sinead O'Connor   Primary Artist,Vocals
Eamonn Coyne   Primary Artist,Banjo,Tenor Banjo,Guitar (Tenor)
Lino Rocha   Vocals
Emeris Solis   Congas,Congas
John & James Kelly   Bodhran
Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz   Cello
Phil Alexander   Piano,Piano
Dougie "El Pulpo" Hudson   Congas
Fraser Fifield   Pipe,Saxophone,Whistle (Human)
Donald Shaw   Keyboards
Christian Dugas   Drums
Anthony LaMarchina   Cello
Alison Brown   Banjo
Dirk Powell   Piano
John Burr   Piano
Gregory Liszt   Banjo
Stuart Duncan   Fiddle
Tania Elizabeth   Fiddle,Strings,Vocal Harmony
Dezi Donnelly   Fiddle
David "Chimp" Robertson   Bongos
Dougie El Pulpo Hudson   Congas
Erik Laughton   Bodhran,Drums (Snare)
Gary Vansodale   Viola
Guy Niccolson   Timbales
Tristan Clarridge   Cello,Fiddle
Toby "El Leon" Shippey   Trumpet
Manitoba McGillicuddy   Vocals
Odhran O Casaide   Violin
Tommy Moran   Bass
Kenny Fraser   Tres,Violin
Mary Kathryn Van Osdale   Violin
Liam O Maonlai   Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Neil Yates   Trumpet
Casey Driessen   Fiddle
Brittany Haas   Fiddle
Ewen Vernal   Double Bass,Bass (Electric)
Todd Phillips   Double Bass
Ryan Quigley   Trumpet
David Angell   Violin
Erick Jaskowiak   Percussion
Manus Lunny   Guitar,Bouzouki
John Somerville   Accordion
Corey DiMario   Double Bass,Guitar (Tenor)
Leonard Podolak   Banjo
Aoife O'Donovan   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Baritone Ukulele
Alan Kelly   Accordion
Sarah Dugas   Vocals
Jordan McConnell   Guitar (Acoustic)
Howard McGill   Saxophone
John Joe Kelly   Bodhran
Chris Greive   Trombone
Gary VanOsdale   Viola
Steve Cooney   Bass,Guitar,Kalimba,Organ (Hammond)
Kristin Wilkinson   String Conductor
Connie Ellisor   Violin
Kenny Malone   Percussion
James MacKintosh   Drums,Percussion
Chris Stout   Violin
Pamela Sixfin   Violin
David Davidson   Violin
Ed Boyd   Guitar
Garry West   Bass
Jim Grosjean   Viola
Johnny Kalsi   Tabla
Steve Kettley   Flute,Saxophone

Technical Credits

Tommy Beavitt   Coro
Doyle   Composer
Peter Rawson   Mixing
Maclean   Composer,Composer
Jamie MacLean   Mixing,Engineer
Glenn Barratt   Engineer
Donald Shaw   Programming
Grant Milne   Engineer
Steven Heller   Mixing,Engineer
Dave Schonauer   Engineer
Eamonn Coyne   Producer,Compilation Producer
Stuart Hamilton   Vocal Engineer,Guitar Engineer
Ciaran Byrne   Mixing,Engineer
Brown West   Composer
Coyne   Composer
Drever   Composer
Hewerdine   Composer
Waters Moran   Composer
Shippey   Composer
Polwart   Composer
McGoldrick   Composer
Robert Hakalski   Package Design
David Leonard   Mixing,Engineer
Peter Collins   Producer
Crooked Still   Composer
John Doyle   Mixing,Producer
Ryan Quigley   Coro
Erick Jaskowiak   Mixing,Engineer
John Dunford   Engineer
Dave Stewart   Composer
Annie Lennox   Composer
Tim O'Brien   Producer
Karine Polwart   Producer
Michael Manning   Assistant
Randy LeRoy   Mastering
Kris Drever   Producer
Paul Brady   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Steve Cooney   Mixing,Producer
Beth Nielsen Chapman   Producer
Boo Hewerdine   Composer
Garry West   Producer,Compilation Producer
Chapman   Composer
Dougie MacLean   Producer
Eric Merrill   Producer