Artist: Locklin Road
Album: Waken The Echoes
Year produced: 2009

I’m a fan of any CD that has “Raggle Taggle Gypsy” on it, I must admit. So this album was off to a good start for me once I saw that on there! The best part is that the other songs were also excellent. Sheri O’Meara’s rich vocals add a lot to the tracks here, but the arrangements and musicianship are also top notch. The band is a trio, but on this CD there are two other musicians who contribute, so you’ll hear a number of different instruments, such as the bass guitar, mandolin and bodhran.

You’ll hear “Danny Boy”, “Amazing Grace” and other heartfelt songs. O’Meara even contributes some originals to the mix, which add a bit of depth and interest. I would classify the band as Celtic Folk, and they stay pretty squarely within the genre on this CD. Favorite tracks include “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye”, “Sing Cecilia” and the band’s rendition of “Black Is the Colour”.

The tone of the album is pretty even, and there is a tight feel to the songs that tell you these are not amateurs playing here. The songs ebb and flow naturally and with ease. The three part harmonies are actually almost unnoticed as they don’t announce themselves–they seem to just happen. You’ll occasionally hear bluegrass or country music underpinnings, but not so much that they pull your focus away from the Celtic sound. All in all, a lovely album that was obviously well planned.

Catherine L. Tully specializes in writing about the arts, lifestyle and travel. She is the Owner of 4dancers, a blog for those who love dance, and Editor for Freelance-Zone, an award-winning site for freelance writers. Catherine also reviews music for Celtic MP3s Music Magazine