After a long hiatus, I'm back. Apologies one and all. I cant really explain the long absence. I have changed jobs recently and when these sort of things happen, it's sad that it is something like the blog takes the biggest hit. Anyway from today a promise, my commitment to regular updates and features. There is too much quality Irish and international americana around that is till going unnoticed without me adding to the detriment of awareness.
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Returning to old ways, this post introduces Lisa Lambe. Lisa came into my radar from a few songs of hers I heard performed on the radio. I wasn't aware of her at all before that. She has just released her début album "Hiding Away" though by no means is she new to performing. Lisa is a long time member of the Celtic Woman group. The group is sort of a traditional/vocal group with a rolling membership that presents a certain aspect of Irish music. I had little awareness of the group until I started to research Lisa's career but it is evident that they are very popular across the world especially in the U.S. Anyway while not performing with Celtic Woman, Lisa is also a talented actress having performed in a few different stage productions....and then there is her music.
"Hiding Away" was released at the start of February. It was recorded over a period of 10 days in Nashville. The album is clearly full of talented instrumentalists. Slide Guitar, Dobro, mandolin, and soft acoustics all make an appearance throughout the record with the style faultless. Lisa's vocals too seem perfectly at home in the soft americana style of the album. Her voice is warm and dwells perfectly in the surroundings of the accompanying laid back americana tones. One of the first tracks I heard from the record was this song "Turn To Me". It encapsulates everything the record is about.
How Lisa came to want to record an americana album seems to stem from both her visits to Nashville and being influenced by a number of albums and artists including Shelby Lynne, Lucinda Williams and The Civil Wars. The album had a long gestation period; she wrote many of the tracks over the previous few years while she was touring with Celtic Woman and got to record the album last year while at a extensive break at home.
It truly is a lovely, calming americana album. All fourteen tracks fit that mould and if there was to be a criticism of the album is that it is almost too twee, too nice. Sometimes you need a harder edge to contrast the softer tones. The first single from the album "Heaven" is released in conjunction with charity Alone (a charity for older adults). All proceeds from the song are going direct top the charity. Again it's a lovely warm tune. A song, like the album that seems perfect accompaniment to cold day sitting beside a flicking fire.
You can download the album on iTunes and through her site. You can find out more about Lisa on hew official site. She is about to start touring Ireland on the back of the album so check out the site for the dates. Lisa is amazingly not (sarcasm intended) on Facebook but she does have a Twitter account if you want to follow her there.
"Hiding Away" was released at the start of February. It was recorded over a period of 10 days in Nashville. The album is clearly full of talented instrumentalists. Slide Guitar, Dobro, mandolin, and soft acoustics all make an appearance throughout the record with the style faultless. Lisa's vocals too seem perfectly at home in the soft americana style of the album. Her voice is warm and dwells perfectly in the surroundings of the accompanying laid back americana tones. One of the first tracks I heard from the record was this song "Turn To Me". It encapsulates everything the record is about.
How Lisa came to want to record an americana album seems to stem from both her visits to Nashville and being influenced by a number of albums and artists including Shelby Lynne, Lucinda Williams and The Civil Wars. The album had a long gestation period; she wrote many of the tracks over the previous few years while she was touring with Celtic Woman and got to record the album last year while at a extensive break at home.
It truly is a lovely, calming americana album. All fourteen tracks fit that mould and if there was to be a criticism of the album is that it is almost too twee, too nice. Sometimes you need a harder edge to contrast the softer tones. The first single from the album "Heaven" is released in conjunction with charity Alone (a charity for older adults). All proceeds from the song are going direct top the charity. Again it's a lovely warm tune. A song, like the album that seems perfect accompaniment to cold day sitting beside a flicking fire.
You can download the album on iTunes and through her site. You can find out more about Lisa on hew official site. She is about to start touring Ireland on the back of the album so check out the site for the dates. Lisa is amazingly not (sarcasm intended) on Facebook but she does have a Twitter account if you want to follow her there.