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It’s amazing how many musicians have touched my life unaware. One of the first cassette tapes of contemporary Celtic music I ever purchased (I’m dating myself!) was Frances Black’s Talk to Me, which contained the haunting and beautiful “All The Lies That You Told Me.” How fitting—and bittersweet—that my first review for Celtic MP3s is for that song’s composer.
From the first click of the play button, there is something familiar about Christie Hennessy’s Stories For Sale. The ageless vocal tone, the deceptively simple lyrics, the highly listenable acoustic arrangements, the faint echoes of his many musical influences all blend into something unique. Closing my eyes, I heard Cat Stevens, Dan Seals, Tony Bennett, maybe a little CS&N and the Drifters. I also heard strains of other artists who’ve been influenced by him.
I became a fan from the first track on the album, “Just Another Man,” and as the rest of the album played out I hit the web to learn more about him and download more music. To my shock I learned he passed away only a few years ago. The songs I was listening to for the first time were the last he would record. Is it normal to grieve for someone you’ve known only through a melody?
It does offer some comfort that his very first album,1972’s The Green Album, which originally sold only 500 copies, has been re-released. And that other artists carry on his legacy, including his own daughter, Hermione.
If you enjoy contemporary Irish music with a traditional/folk flavor, something to enjoy on a rainy Sunday afternoon, you won’t be disappointed in Stories For Sale.
Artist: Christie Hennessy
Album: Stories for Sale
Legend has it that Carolan Ivey, a North Carolina native, sang before she talked. In addition to a lifetime performing in a wide variety of musical genres, she is a journeywoman writer of technical manuals, marketing copy, web content, reviews and critiques, and award-winning fiction. Visit her web site at www.carolanivey.com. She is also a staff writer for the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.
