Celtic Woman [Manhattan] by Celtic Woman (CD, Mar-2005, EMI-Manhattan)

My wife & I saw Celtic Woman in concert in Clearwater, Fl., & in Cary, N.C. We own the Celtic Woman DVD, 2 copies of the CD, a copy of Chloe's DVD, and a copy of each of the ladies individual CDs. I have never heard voices so pure & smooth. They each have their own sound, and seem to sing without effort. The highs have the same purity as the mid and low range. As soloists, they show their ability to handle their music without compromise. As a group, they show their ability to complement each other, never trying to "out do" each other. On stage, they strive, and constantly succeed, to please the ears, and hearts, of their audience. In interviews, you will find that these ladies are not only pretty to look at, but have a beauty of heart & mind. They are unique in their field, and have no competition as far as I am concerned. My wife & I had the pleasure to meet Maev & her husband at our hotel in Cary, N.C. I found her to be friendly, comical, and very down to earth. Her husband is as nice of a man as you would ever want to meet. I am sure as you read this review, that you may think that people like this do not exist. Let me encourage you to buy their CD, and during their next tour, make sure you go to see them in concert. Celtic Woman is real, and David Downes is near genius for putting these ladies together. Along with his talents of arranging music, he stands out at the top of his field. As if this were not enough, you will find Mairead to be the most entertaining bundle of energy on the planet. Her "Irish Fiddle" almost catches on fire at times from her non-stop motion. I have played the Tuba for 41 years now, and I am here to tell you that this young lady is as talented as they come. I have listened intently to them in concert, and on their CDs, and have yet to pick up on a missed note, or a mistake in her playing. When I listen to a musician, I listen for the technical ability, because that is where my heart is. She plays flawlessly, and at the same time, dances around, jumping back & forth, skipping here & there, etc. Her interaction with the other ladies is common with the tone of the group, not wanting to overshadow one another. When she interacts with the other musicians, like percussionist Ray, it is a real crowd pleaser. The only negative thing I can say about Celtic Woman is that they are not here, at my beck & call 24/7, so I could enjoy them all the time. But rest assured, as they come out with new DVDs & CDs, I WILL buy them, and when they come back for their next tour, you WILL find my wife & me in the audience. I will not deprive myself of the joy of seeing and hearing these fine examples of performance. If David Downes reads this, and decides he needs a Tuba player, I am ready !!
Steve Gonnella
St.Clod,Fl.

The music is so beautiful we had to buy the DVD. If you like Enya, you will love this. A wonderful mix of traditional Irish and current music. I especially enjoyed the remakes of You Raise Me Up and Orinoko Flow. There is even one new song written by David Downes, the director, for the show (Send me a Song) which is very memorable and contemporary enough for the radio. A stand-out is Chloe Agnue, a 15 year old with a future. Well-Done!!

This is a wonderful CD. The music is very relaxing. I play it in my class sometimes while my students are doing their work. I bought this CD because I was asked to sing at a friend's wedding. The friend was of Scottish/Irish decent and was including her heritage in her ceremony. She asked that the song, "Ave Maria" be used and the Celtic Woman version on this CD was the one she liked best. I bought the CD so I could learn the song in this format.

I tried to find a way to describe Celtic Woman that would bring to those who have not heard them something to compare to, but I couldn't. Enya? No. Abba? No. A bit like opera? No. Something like a vocal version of.... Well, you get the idea. Celtic Women is a CD filled with uniqueness.

The voices and instruments of the women are clear and refreshing to listen to. I love to watch them perform and wasn't quite sure that a CD could live up to the same excitement. This one does! Whether riding in the car, cooking dinner or relaxing before bed, I find the sounds of Celtic Women offers many different moods in one CD, all wonderful, some haunting, some relaxing, some exciting.

This CD, I hope is not their last, but it may be hard to better!

I bought the CD after hearing the group and seeing one of their DVD. They are group of 5 extremely talented ladies. Mairead, who has performed with Riverdance, is the fiddle/violinist and does a few solo numbers on the CD. The other 4 are the vocalists on a number Celtic songs, done in both English and Gaelic. Their harmony is almost Angelic sounding. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys music.