Rathkeltair "Something good for a Change" RKA Music
Release date: May 28th 2011
Running Time: 60:07, 14 tracks
Rathkeltair (pronounce rath-KELT-ur), from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, is a Celtic rock band with pedigree. Bagpiper Neil Anderson and drummer Nick Watson were original founding members of Seven Nations. Watson left the band in 1997 and Anderson left the band in 1998. Therefore, both of them played in albums such as “Old Ground” and “Big Dog”. Watson was also a member of Celtic Soul, a band that released three interesting albums. The third member of the band is songwriter and guitarist Trevor Tanner, from the English band The Bolshoi.
“Something GOOD for a Change” is the band fourth album. More than an hour of music that features Tanner’s songwriting (who has also produced the album) and four sets of tunes. The band is perfectly backed by bassist Billy Thornton, who has been touring with them since 2006.
The set of tunes are great. “More Tetley Vicar” features an excellent funky bass and top-notch drums and highland pipes.
The guitar work in “The Big Riff Set” is amazing too and listening to Watson’s percussion one can understand why he toured internationally as a member of the drum corps with Belfast-based Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, (six times world pipe band champions and one of the top competitive bagpipe bands in the world).
“A Set for Regis”, a track in memory of Regis Malady, features Anderson’s Small pipes and Watson traditional style percussion.
Finally, “McVities Chocolate Problem” is a set of tunes in which Tanner’s guitar work and Thornton’s bass stand out. The first of the tunes is listed as “Merrily Kissed the Quaker’s Wife”, but I feel that it’s the same tune that Anderson recorded previously with Seven Nations under the name “The Blarney Pilgrim”.
As far as the songs are concerned, I have enjoyed “Down in the City”, a track in which the guitar reminds me of Ry Cooder .
Another fantastic song is “How the Irish Saved my Life”, a track whose lyrics were written by Glen Francis Cusano and the music by both Cusano and Tanner.
“All About You” is a song in which Anderson plays the uileann pipes.
My fave song is “The Crab Song”. The band has written the music to this traditional lyrics and the result is quite good. The song features a small pipes part of “Haughs o’ Cromdale” I think immediately of Great Big Sea “Beggarman’s” version.
Rathkeltair is a strong band and the band members are excellent musicians. Fans of Seven Nations and Wolftstone’s last albums will appreciate “Something GOOD for a Change”
Tracklist:
1. Something Good for a Change 4:39
2. More Tetley Vicar? 6:57
3. What It Is 4:58
4. Down In the City 3:34
5. How The Irish Saved My Life 3:32
6. The Big Riff Set 6:49
7. All About You 5:21
8. Spanish Chicken 4:07
9. The Crab Song 3:41
10. Set for Regis 4:23
11. Tom 4:07
12. It's All Good 3:21
13. McVities Chocolate Problem 6:51
14. Trees 4:34
http://www.rathkeltair.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/rathkeltair
http://www.myspace.com/rathkeltair
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=48903
http://www.facebook.com/Rathkeltair
http://twitter.com/#!/rathkeltair
Click to buy:
http://www.rathkeltair.com/inc/sdetail/156/1189 (directly from the band)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rathkeltair12 (from CDBaby)
http://rathkeltair.bandcamp.com/album/something-good-for-a-change (digital album from bandcamp)
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
Release date: May 28th 2011
Running Time: 60:07, 14 tracks
Rathkeltair (pronounce rath-KELT-ur), from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, is a Celtic rock band with pedigree. Bagpiper Neil Anderson and drummer Nick Watson were original founding members of Seven Nations. Watson left the band in 1997 and Anderson left the band in 1998. Therefore, both of them played in albums such as “Old Ground” and “Big Dog”. Watson was also a member of Celtic Soul, a band that released three interesting albums. The third member of the band is songwriter and guitarist Trevor Tanner, from the English band The Bolshoi.
“Something GOOD for a Change” is the band fourth album. More than an hour of music that features Tanner’s songwriting (who has also produced the album) and four sets of tunes. The band is perfectly backed by bassist Billy Thornton, who has been touring with them since 2006.
The set of tunes are great. “More Tetley Vicar” features an excellent funky bass and top-notch drums and highland pipes.
The guitar work in “The Big Riff Set” is amazing too and listening to Watson’s percussion one can understand why he toured internationally as a member of the drum corps with Belfast-based Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, (six times world pipe band champions and one of the top competitive bagpipe bands in the world).
“A Set for Regis”, a track in memory of Regis Malady, features Anderson’s Small pipes and Watson traditional style percussion.
Finally, “McVities Chocolate Problem” is a set of tunes in which Tanner’s guitar work and Thornton’s bass stand out. The first of the tunes is listed as “Merrily Kissed the Quaker’s Wife”, but I feel that it’s the same tune that Anderson recorded previously with Seven Nations under the name “The Blarney Pilgrim”.
As far as the songs are concerned, I have enjoyed “Down in the City”, a track in which the guitar reminds me of Ry Cooder .
Another fantastic song is “How the Irish Saved my Life”, a track whose lyrics were written by Glen Francis Cusano and the music by both Cusano and Tanner.
“All About You” is a song in which Anderson plays the uileann pipes.
My fave song is “The Crab Song”. The band has written the music to this traditional lyrics and the result is quite good. The song features a small pipes part of “Haughs o’ Cromdale” I think immediately of Great Big Sea “Beggarman’s” version.
Rathkeltair is a strong band and the band members are excellent musicians. Fans of Seven Nations and Wolftstone’s last albums will appreciate “Something GOOD for a Change”
Tracklist:
1. Something Good for a Change 4:39
2. More Tetley Vicar? 6:57
3. What It Is 4:58
4. Down In the City 3:34
5. How The Irish Saved My Life 3:32
6. The Big Riff Set 6:49
7. All About You 5:21
8. Spanish Chicken 4:07
9. The Crab Song 3:41
10. Set for Regis 4:23
11. Tom 4:07
12. It's All Good 3:21
13. McVities Chocolate Problem 6:51
14. Trees 4:34
http://www.rathkeltair.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/rathkeltair
http://www.myspace.com/rathkeltair
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=48903
http://www.facebook.com/Rathkeltair
http://twitter.com/#!/rathkeltair
Click to buy:
http://www.rathkeltair.com/inc/sdetail/156/1189 (directly from the band)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rathkeltair12 (from CDBaby)
http://rathkeltair.bandcamp.com/album/something-good-for-a-change (digital album from bandcamp)
Review by Kinksmarkham
.
Thanks very much for this review and your kind words- and thanks also for catching my error with the tune name on the "McVitie's" track- you are absolutely correct, the tune in question is actually "Blarney Pilgrim," and not "Merrily Kissed the Quaker's Wife"- I'm surprised anybody remembered the Seven Nations version from so many years ago! Glad you enjoyed the disc- all the best!
ReplyDeleteNeil ('piper from Rathkeltair)