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Hibernian Rhapsody

De Dannan

Shanachie

• List price: $17.98
• Lowest new price: $10.50
• Lowest used price: $6.97

1. Noel Hill's
2. Donegal Reels
3. Captain Jack
4. Humours Of Lissadel & Jenny Picking Cockles
5. The Garden Valley
6. Lark On The Strand
7. Erin Ni Neosainn Ce Hi
8. Hibernian Rhapsody
9. The Rose And The Briar
10. George Ross' Horn Pipes
11. The Mountains Of Pommeroy
12. Sean McGuire's
13. The Irish Girl
14. The Girl That Broke My Heart
15. Danny Boy

Average customer rating:

Captain Jack

This CD is a worthwhile puchase just for Captain Jack. The cd is wonderful but Captain Jack is its crowning glory.

I want to give it seven stars!

This CD is an absolute masterpiece. The title track is a clever Irish riff on Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and had me nearly in hysterics without a single sung word. Tommy Fleming's awe-inspiring vocals and Frankie Gavin's jaw-dropping skill on flute and (especially) fiddle are on superb display here. An absolute treasure; highest possible recommendation.

Wonderful CD

I don't normally write reviews, but having read some of the ones on this CD I felt I had to give my opinion. Simply put, this is a foot-tapping, humming-along-with-the-music type of cd that brings a smile to your face and sometimes a tear to your eye. The instrumentals are some of the best trad Irish music I've heard and Tommy Fleming's vocals.....simply breathtaking. I don't know about "sappy lyrics" and "Irish phrasing", I just know that when Danny Boy (for example) comes on it makes my heart soar. Each and every song will touch an emotion, and bottom line, that's what music is supposed to do. Right? Different people on each cd, but great music on them all. This one is a definite "Must Have".

Tommy Flemming's Vocals Make This CD Work For Me

I discovered this recording through a viewing of the PBS documentary on "Danny Boy," which features many versions of Ireland's great song, including De Dannan's. Knowing nothing about the group's ever-changing line-up and assuming there would be plenty of vocals as purely rendered and moving as the one in the film, I was actually a little disappointed that there wasn't more singing and less jig and fiddle work. When a band reinvents itself as often as De Dannan seems to (even the spelling of the name changes!), it's no surprise that different listeners have differing impressions of what the group does best. For me, a jig is a jig, but a moving and well-sung lyric is a treasure, as are all the vocals here. For "Danny Boy" collectors, Tommy Flemming's may well be the best you'll ever hear. (And don't miss the "Danny Boy" movie, also available from Amazon.com, with versions by everyone from Nana Maskouri and Sinead O'Connor to Eric Clapton and Elvis.)

Excellent tunes, skip the songs.

The instrumentals are as good as DeDannan has ever been. They have a wonderful lift and swing that makes you want to bounce in your seat. Derek Hickey and Frankie Gavin sound fantastic together! Wow!

However, I thought the choice of songs was chintzy and the singing was melodramatic (Though Mr. Flemming DOES have an incredible voice).

For those who like sappy Irish songs, buy this album! For those who prefer traditional Irish music, buy this ablum--and be thankful for the invention of the programmable CD-player!

(And, regardless of whether you LIKE it or not, one can't help but be impressed with the faithful rendering of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" done as an Irish trad instrumental! You have to hear it to believe it.)