Lowlands

by Susan McKeown

Overview

Susan McKeown is an Irish folk musician with an unusually diverse resume. She has made albums of original music and albums of traditional songs, including a stunning collection of seasonal tunes entitled Through the Bitter Frost and Snow, on which the primary instruments were McKeown's voice and Lindsey Horner's string bass. She has also collaborated with numerous musicians from traditions both within and without the Celtic the world, and her music has been used in TV commercials for products as diverse as facial cream and automobiles. At this point, the only really surprising thing she could have done would have been to make a primarily traditional Irish album, which is exactly what she's done with the beautiful Lowlands. Granted, the instrumentation is frequently unusual -- on the haunting "Dark Horse on the Wind" she's accompanied by banjo and erhu (a Chinese bowed instrument), and on "Bonny Greenwoodside" she plays finger cymbals while others play the tabla and caxixis. But the songs are very definitely from the Irish tradition, and her delivery is as hair-raising as ever. Highlights include the slightly flamenco-flavored "Slan agus Beannacht (Goodbye and Farewell)" and the anguished, a capella "Dark Horse on the Wind." Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	09/26/2000
Label:	Green Linnet
UPC:	0048248120524
Rank:	249816

Tracks

1. An Nighean Dubh/The Dark Haired Girl
2. Johnny Coughlin
3. The Hare's Lament
4. Slan Agus Beannacht/Goodbye and Farewell
5. The Snows They Melt the Soonest
6. Nansau Og Ni Obarlain/Young Nancy Oberlin
7. Lord Baker
8. Dark Horse on the Wind
9. The Lowlands of Holland
10. Bonny Greenwood Side
11. To Fair London Town
12. The Moorlough Shore

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Susan McKeown   Primary Artist,Finger Cymbals
Joanie Madden   Guest Artist,Low Whistle,Whistle (Human),Whistle (Instrument)
Mamadou Diabate   Guest Artist,Kora
Samir Chatterjee   Guest Artist,Tabla
Lunasa   Guest Artist
Matt Darriau   Guest Artist,Bass,Gaita,Kaval,Clarinet,Irish Flute,Clarinet (Bass)
Glen Moore   Guest Artist,Bass (Acoustic)
Sean Smyth   Fiddle
Oliver Strauss   Handclapping
Aidan Brennan   Guitar
Michelle Kinney   Cello
Jamshied Sharifi   Synthesizer
Johnny Cunningham   Fiddle
Des Moore   Guitar
Ole Mathisen   Clarinet
Gerry Leonard   Guitar,Guitar Loops
Trevor Hutchinson   Bass (Acoustic)
Kevin Crawford   Whistle (Human)
Greg Anderson   Bouzouki
Donogh Hennessy   Guitar
Todd Schietroma   Caxixi,Shaker,Cahones,Handclapping
John Anthony   Caxixi

Technical Credits

John Anthony   Mixing
Scott Noll   Engineer
Rick Rowe   Mastering
Oliver Strauss   Engineer
Jamshied Sharifi   Producer,Wind Arrangements
John Francis Bourke   Photography
Liam Weldon   Composer
Cathal Goan   Translation
Traditional   Composer
Susan McKeown   Arranger,Producer,Translation
Donogh Hennessy   Producer