“afro_celtic_sound”
Afro Celt Sound System
Volume 2: Release
Real World
Afro Celt Sound System is a journey around the world in 80 bars. This global collection of musicians will astound you with the rich, luxurious textures and magical blends of world musics.
Though Celtic and African are the obvious dominance, no land’s music is too far away for a nod or hug – especially thick solid grooves woven among a seemingly endless variety of instruments and arrangements. So there’s a lot more here than just bagpipes and tomtoms. Keyboards and electronica mingle seamlessly with bodhrans, balafon, talking drums, Celtic harps, uilleann pipes, kora, tablas, well, you get the idea. At any given moment the song you are hearing will evolve into something completely different in about 60 seconds, but without you feeling jolted or jerked or even the slightest turbulence. Always driving on gusting up your aural sails.
The grooves on Volume 2: Release seem even harder driven and heavier than on their first album, Volume 1: Sound Magic . Some spoken word is also mixed in with singing – about half of the tracks are vocal (mostly a mixture of Gaelic and English). Usually provided by the soft comforting wisp of Iarla O’Lionaird or occasionally the enchanting African voice of N’Faly Kouyate. The title track “Release” features Sinead O’Connor. Tasty. Great for foreground or background listening. http://www.afrocelts.com
Astralwerks, 104 W. 29th St., New York, NY 10001; http://www.astralwerks.com
