Tears of Stone

by The Chieftains

Overview

The latest effort by the most important Irish band of the last 20 years shows that even after 30-odd albums, Paddy Moloney still has plenty of juice to spare. The chief Chieftain continues his predilection for guest stars on this "women's album," featuring vocalists from all over the world interpreting some Irish classics. Some of the singers are renewing associations with the band: Sissel, the Norwegian siren of TITANIC soundtrack fame also joined the band on the Grammy-winning THE LONG JOURNEY HOME, as did Sinéad O'Connor. Other pairings are unique: Joan Osborne's Kentucky roots reach out to "Raglan Road"; Canada's Loreena McKennitt and Joni Mitchell take inspired turns in front of this most adventurous traditional outfit. The resultant blend of pop smarts and timeless Irish song craft is irresistible. No wonder TEARS OF STONE became the venerable Chieftains' first No. 1 album in their homeland.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/04/2009
Label:	Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886974869726
catalogNumber:	748697
Rank:	2382

Tracks

1. Never Give All the Heart
2. A Stór Mo Chroí
3. The Lowlands of Holland
4. The Magdalene Laundries
5. Jimmy Mo Mhíle Stór
6. I Know My Love
7. Factory Girl
8. Deserted Soldier
9. Ye Rambling Boys of Pleasure
10. Sake In The Jar
11. Raglan Road
12. Siúil a Rún
13. The Fiddling Ladies
14. Danny Boy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chieftains   Primary Artist
Derek Bell   Harp,Keyboards,Tiompan
Matt Molloy   Flute
Joni Mitchell   Guitar,Vocals,Track Performer
Bonnie Raitt   Dobro,Vocals
Matt Rollings   Piano
Russell Malone   Guitar
Akiko Yano   Piano,Vocals,Track Performer
Seán Keane   Fiddle
Gospel Jubilees   Choir, Chorus
Eileen Ivers   Fiddle,Track Performer
Kweyao Agyapon   Djembe
Máire Breatnach   Fiddle,Track Performer
James Blennerhassett   Double Bass
Noel Bridgeman   Percussion
Mary Chapin Carpenter   Vocals,Track Performer
Kevin Conneff   Bodhran
Martin Fay   Fiddle
Rob Hyman   Keyboards
Chito Kawachi   Japanese Percussion
Paddy Moloney   uillean pipes,tin whistle
Zan McLeod   Guitar
Arty McGlynn   Guitar
Loreena McKennitt   Harp,Vocals,Track Performer
Natalie Merchant   Vocals,Track Performer
Máirtín O'Connor   Accordion
Sinéad O'Connor   Vocals,Track Performer
William Wittman   Guitar
Diana Krall   Vocals,Track Performer
Anúna   Choir, Chorus,Track Performer
Joan Osborne   Vocals,Track Performer
Annbjørg Lien   Fiddle,Track Performer
Tracey Dares   Piano
Natalie MacMaster   Fiddle,Track Performer
John Morris Rankin   Piano
Sissel Kyrkjebø   Track Performer
Cookie Rankin   Vocals
Heather Rankin   Vocals
Jimmy Rankin   Guitar
Raylene Rankin   Vocals
Erik Della Penna   Guitar
Nathaniel Townsley   Choir, Chorus
Malachy Robinson   Double Bass
Caroline Corr   Vocals,Bodhran
Andrea Corr   Vocals,tin whistle
Sharon Corr   Fiddle,Vocals
Jim Corr   Guitar
Brenda Fricker   Vocals
Hutel Hutchinson   Bass
Screaming Orphans   Background Vocals
Ni Chanarim   Cello
Patrick Fitzgerald   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Jeffrey Lesser   Engineer
Paddy Moloney   Producer
Brian Masterson   Engineer
William Wittman   Engineer
James OMara   Artwork
Takahiro Nochimura   Engineer
Kate Ryan   Artwork
Frederick Edward Weatherly   Composer

Editorial Reviews

This album is a follow-up to the 1995 album The Long Black Veil. The idea is the same: the Chieftains play house band for many guest vocalists and musicians. The difference this time around is that all the musicians and vocalists featured are women. Sinéad O'Connor is the one return performance, and she justifies that honor with her sorrowful and beautiful rendition of the traditional song "Factory Girl." The roster of guests is diverse, and it is a credit to the musical ability of the Chieftains to keep a common thread going and blend their arrangements with all the different voices. Bonnie Raitt sounds just as much an Irish folk singer on her track "A Stor Mo Chrio" as Loreena McKennitt does on her version of "Ye Rambling Boys of Pleasure." The trick is that Paddy Maloney's arrangements highlight the unique talents of each guest. Most of the songs are traditional Irish tunes with new arrangements, the exceptions being the haunting "The Magdalene Laundries" written and sung by Joni Mitchell and strange but somehow fitting "Sake in the Jar" written and sung by Akiko Yano. The song features Japanese percussion instruments and should stick out among the distinctly Celtic contributions here, but it blends right in. Paddy Maloney states in the liner notes that the point of the project was to "marry the many-faceted voices of contemporary women artists from around the world with the simple beauty of traditional Irish music." It is a job well done.

All Music Guide - Susan Cruickshank