Gift Horse

Product Description:
Derri Daughtery, Mike Roe, Gene Eugene and Terry Taylor continue in the tradition of making astounding music in the alt-country rock vein.

Tracks:

Summer Sent You
One Way Donkey Ride
The Loving Time
Golden Thread
The Holy Ground (Trad.)
Treasure Island
The Holy Ground
Flesh And Blood
Dockland
Lay Down Your Burden
Paper Friends
Poison Words

Amazon.com

The Holy Ground is Mary Black's first completely successful attempt to blend the pop and traditional sides of her musical personality. Even though the music itself contains few overt Celtic references--the only traditional instruments used are the occasional fiddle or tin whistle--Black's supple soprano is so unmistakably Irish that she could sing in front of a kazoo orchestra and you would know she was from Dublin. Black is not a songwriter, but she has a gift for choosing the perfect song to match her voice, including some from contemporary folk music's strongest songwriters like John Gorka, Gerry O'Beirne, and Jesse Winchester. Also included are a handful of songs from Noel Brazil, a songwriter Black has turned to time and again, and a lovely version of Sandy Denny's "One Way Donkey Ride." Irish music purists may dismiss the music of Mary Black as modern pop music, but her magnificent voice and soulful delivery are deeply rooted in the Celtic tradition, and her renditions of traditional songs such as the title track rank among the finest modern performances of these ancient melodies. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

What a soul-stirring, peace-giving, inviting voice!.......2003-05-21

I am a new convert to the troupe of Mary Black fans! Her music was playing the day my friend died and I was moved to tears within seconds. I love Celtic music and Mary Black brings new and fresh tunes and lyrics to the genre. You will not be disappointed, I cannot see how anyone could! Her voice will melt your heart as well as your troubles!

A Mary Black Essential.......2003-01-31

This is among the albums that Mary Black fans will point to as "essential."

To be honest, I didn't really fall in love with it on my first listen. I could tell it was a GOOD album, but at first, I wasn't sure it was a GREAT album. Her voice was strong and clear, but there was nothing very unusual about it. It was just like your basic good voice. Also, the songs were very pretty, but they kind of came across as ordinary ballads - nothing jumped out at me.

With repeated listenings though, I gradually "got it". The power of this album is a subtle one, but once you find its beauty, you'll never again understand why you didn't hear it on the first listen.

Mary Black sings with a pure, honest spirit that creates the most subtle glow around each Irish folk ballad. She is baring her soul with each note, but she doesn't do it with raw power - she does it with a tender heart and an honest lilt. The aura around her singing is unmistakable once you begin to hear it.

The songs too became more enchanting to me with each listen. ONE WAY DONKEY RIDE is a genuinely sympathetic ballad, and Mary Black's rendition is particularly heartfelt. Some of the love stories told on the album are warm with innocence, and biting with pain. And I've come to really love the song PAPER FRIENDS too, just because its simple message about knowing who your real friends are and aren't is so welcoming.

HOLY GROUND is definitely quintessential Mary Black!

Beautiful, soulful music.......2000-02-12

I heard Mary Black's "Holy Ground" album for the first time during a visit to the UK, and fell head over heels in love with her voice and music. Although I don't own this album, it's currently at the top of my "wish list"! It's fantastic.

Outstanding!.......1998-08-29

I have all of Mary's CDs and find this one to be the one I listen to the most. The song selection on this album couldn't be better and Mary's marvelous voice brings a deep meaning to each one. As other reviewers have observed, the lead track and the closing track have a haunting dissimiarity. I love everything Mary has recorded but this is the very best in my opinion.

This one will make you an MB fan if you're not one already........1998-07-24

I love the wistful quality that Mary Black brings to all her songs, and the ones she's chosen for this CD don't disappoint. Her singing style is always versatile yet hauntingly familiar. A must-have for your collection!

Average customer rating:

Mary Black at her best
Song for Ireland and Legacy of Love
Beautiful Irish Recording
Beautiful singing, some pedestrain arrangements
Many Good SOngs for Ireland

Song for Ireland
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Holy Ground
The Best of Mary Black, Vol. 2
A Woman's Heart
Woman's Heart 2
By the Time It Gets Dark

ASIN: B00000DLXO
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

Loving Hannah
Lea Boy's Lassie
School Days Over
Men Of Worth
Both Sides The Tweed
Colcannon (The Black Family)
The Shadow
My Donald
Ellis Island
The Holy Ground
Song For Ireland

Amazon.com essential recording

Song for Ireland is a collection of contemporary and traditional Irish songs drawn from Mary Black's previous albums. Unlike most folk singers, Black is comfortable in modern pop settings such as on the emigrant song "Ellis Island," which features electric guitars and synthesizers. But she is at her best when her backing musicians unplug and she blends her gorgeous voice with their traditional acoustic instruments. When she sings selections like the heart-rending ballad "Loving Hannah," Dick Gaughan's moving call for peace "Both Sides of the Tweed," or "The Shadow," a haunting ode to the Irish statesman Michael Collins backed by fiddle, uilleann pipes, and tin whistle, she weaves a spell few performers can equal. Song for Ireland may not be a greatest-hits album in the normal sense of the phrase, but the music here ranks among Mary Black's finest. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

Mary Black at her best.......2007-07-05

I bought this cd based on reviews by others. I was not disappointed. "Song for Ireland" is easily the highlight but pleasant surprises such as "Colcannon," "Loving Hannah," "Leaboy's Lassie," "Men of Worth," and "School Days Over" make this an eminently listenable cd. "The Shadow" is one of the better songs you'll hear about the patriot Michael Collins. I defy you to listen to "Colcannon" a couple of times and then try to get it out of your head! This cd is lots of fun.

Song for Ireland and Legacy of Love.......2004-11-04

This is a beautiful Cd. Song for Ireland brings tears to my eyes evertime I listen to it even though I've never been to where my grandparents come from. If you come from Irish ancestors Song for Ireland and Liz O'Connors Legacy of Love are two recordings you'll always treasure.

Beautiful Irish Recording.......2003-06-06

Mary Black is at her best here, with a recording that emphasizes traditional Irish ballads. (The one Scottish song and the more modern number, "Ellis Island", also fit in due to compatible themes.) The accompaniment is spare, but Black's voice is so beautiful and evocative that this is much more effective than some of her more modern (and somewhat overproduced)efforts. Her a cappella song with the Black Family, "Colcannon", is one of my favorites, as well as the concert recording of "Loving Hannah", but there is hardly a bad number here. If you don't have any of her other recordings, start here.

Beautiful singing, some pedestrain arrangements.......2003-04-09

This is my first exposure to mary Black, but not to several of the songs on this CD. The Holy Ground, for any fan of Irish Music, belongs to the Clancys, and this spare, somewhat somber version, sounds inapporpriate. It's hard to hear rowdy, carousing sailors singing this song in the melancholy mood Mary ascribes to them.

And the title cut is also lacking. Dick Gaughan's version is, to my mind, authoritative. Can't imagine it improved. This certainly doesn't.

The recording often has a sterile feeling to it, possibly the different tracks from different sources. But the sound is of quite skilled instrumentalists laying down their tracks, yet no music-making occurring among them.

That being said, Mary's voice is a delight. The live Loving Hannah is a gorgeous opening, and Men of Worth alone makes it a keeper. Here is a song where everyone was on the same page at the same time. So, as an intro, I guess it shows me what she can do. And it also shows me where to investigate further and where to avoid.

Many Good SOngs for Ireland.......2003-02-02

This album is made of up of a collection of songs from Mary's other albums plus one live song. The album starts off on the slow side but warms quickly and finishes with Mary at her best.

Songs like "Loving Hannah", "Lea Boy's Lassie", "My Donald" and "Holy Ground" are tradtional Irish songs sung by Mary with minimal music - almost sean-nos but not quite. "Men of Worth" is the first song on the album that has all the usual Irish instruments and you love it all the more for it. It also has great harmony as does "Colcannon" which is sung by the entire Black family. "Both Sides the Tweed" is a Robert Burns poem put to music. Even though Burns was Scottish, Mary's voice really brings the song to life. "Schooldays Over", about leaving school to work in the mines, and "The Shadow", a song about Michael Colins, are both slower songs with less music which helps to showcase Mary's fantastic voice. "Ellis Island" is almost a pop song with it's beat and music but can bring you to tears as you listen to individuals say goodbye to each other as they immigrate to America.

By far the best song on the album is "A Song for Ireland". Not only is it grand in it's presentation and it's lyrics colorful but Mary's vocals would give divas like Celine a run for their money. The entire album is worth having just for this song alone.

Tracks:

No Frontiers
Past The Point Of Rescue
The Shadow
Carolina Rua
Shuffle Of The Buckled
Columbus
Another Day
Fat Valley Of Pain
I Say A Little Prayer
Vanities
The Fog In Monterey

Amazon.com

Mary Black has the gift of being able to sing traditional and contemporary music with equal grace. No Frontiers is a beautiful example of her modern mode. Even when she is singing something as pop-oriented as Burt Bacharach's "Say a Little Prayer," Black's pure voice retains echoes of her roots. (Her father was a fiddler and her mother sang in dance halls in Dublin.) The arrangements are contemporary, but many of the songs have a distinctly old, folk tinge. Her grounding in traditional music gives her performances of new material a timeless feel. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

great singer.......2007-05-12

High quality as always from Mary Black. Brilliant singer with unique sound and style. The songs are diverse and of all times.

Exquisite!.......2003-11-18

How do you go about producing a record by an artist with a voice that is as clear as a mountain stream and as sweet as honey? First, you make sure that you have a collection of songs that are worthy of the voice. Second, you make sure that nothing in the production process, including musical arrangement, intrudes on the magic of the singing.

Take a bow Declan Synott. This record is quite breathtaking in its beauty. Mary Black is Ireland's greatest undiscovered treasure. No Frontiers is a wonderful song rendered unforgettable by the astonishing vocals displayed by Black. Her rendition of Columbus is almost mystical.

Black can switch between pop, blues, jazz and folk with a fluidity that is awesome. Hear her sing Say a Little Prayer and marvel at the freshness and vitality she brings. Hear her sing Carolina Rua where she turns a jaunty ditty into a rollicking rollercoaster.

This record is not perfect, and I am glad. Perfection is, by its nature, too often bland. This record is flawed but is nonetheless an exquisite thrill. Buy it now!

A Gentle Pick-Me-Up.......2003-01-31

Hearing Mary Black sing "Say a Little Prayer for you" is alone, worth the price of the album. With her paradoxically strong and innocent voice, she breathes new life into that exciting, sing-along song. Every time my "random" function on my CD player selects that song, I turn the volume up and sing along.

But there are a lot more treats on this album. COLUMBUS, with its smooth rhythms and bright, expansive vocals puts me in the perfect mood for taking a road trip every time.

The album is just one fun, tender, folk/pop gem after another. It isn't my number one favorite of Mary Black's albums, but if I ever lost it ... I'd replace it immediately. It's not only an essential ingredient in a Mary Black collection, but its subtle cheer is also an essential ingredient in the recipe for a good day.

Still beautiful after all these years...........2002-03-28

Maybe it's because this album came along at a special time in my life; maybe it's because this was the first Mary Black album I ever owned; and maybe because this album contains some of the most beautiful and sophisticated songs and singing I've ever heard, that I can honestly say that it remains one of the best albums I have ever owned. I am always transported back to musical magic when listening to the title track--it is still as exciting to listen to as when I first heard "No Frontiers". "Carolina Rua" is a lilting, uplifiting song of great joy. "Columbus" is a dark, deep song about restlessness, and who would think that anyone could write and record a song titled "Fat Valley of Pain"? Yet Mary Black pulls it off, and this album is one succession of great songs. I own six Mary Black albums, but this still remains my favorite. Best of all, I'm just glad I discovered this great singer, who has added such pleasure into my life.

Pleasure without frontier.......2001-10-19

I bought this disc 3 years ago. Since then, these songs have become a legend for me. This is the kind of music which enchantes you.The lyrics is sophisticated, the instruments subtle, and last but not the least, the quality of sound is simply astounding.You can sit back, and listen from the beginning to the end.My favorite songs are No frontiers (also contained on the unplugged album of The Corrs), and The Shadow.But it`s hard to make such statements as favourites.Mary Black lovers may find Loreena McKennitt, Suzanne Vega, Secret Garden congenial to their mind and soul as well. These are not of background music!!!Adam from Düsseldorf

Average customer rating:

I'm Terrible At Writing Reviews
Favorite Mary Black CD
The finest collection of a unique and pure voice.
A perfect melding of a beautiful voice with great material.
Mary's Black's outstanding singing style

Collected
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Song for Ireland
By the Time It Gets Dark
No Frontiers
Mary Black
Babes in the Wood

ASIN: B000000LWZ
Release Date: 1994-06-13

Tracks:

Song For Ireland
Mo Ghile Mear
Men Of Worth
Fare Thee Well My Own True Love
She Moves Through The Fair
Both Sides The Tweed
Hard Times
I Live Not Where I Love
Isle Of St. Helena
My Youngest Son Came Home Today

Customer Reviews:

I'm Terrible At Writing Reviews.......2006-03-23

I wish Amazon would quit asking me to write reviews. I'm woefully inept at doing so.I really like it, it's okay, and I hate it - those three pretty much comprise my reviewing ability. I also believe taste in music/books/whatever is entirely subjective. One person's marvel is another person's misery. I do, however, think Mary Black has one of the most gorgeous voices I've ever heard. I'm sure I don't have one album (oops - CD) by her I don't thoroughly enjoy. That's it. Told you I was no good at this.

Favorite Mary Black CD.......2003-07-12

I own most of Mary Black's CD's, but this one is my favorite. In fact, I believe it may be my favorite CD by a female performer. Ms. Black's voice is crystal clear and haunting. When she sings "Song for Ireland," I can picture the cliffs and ocean in my mind. In my opinion, this CD has the best of Ms. Black's traditional Irish music.

The finest collection of a unique and pure voice........1999-02-23

This collection draws from some of Mary's strongest work in the earlier portion of her career. Achingly pure is how I describe her voice. The album begins with her signature song, "Song for Ireland," which was re-recordered for this release. The song will grow on you if it doesn't captivate you immediately. It is followed by one of the few songs in Gaelic about Bonnie Prince Charlie. It has blown me away for years and continues to do so. For a change of pace, next comes a song by the Scottish balladeer, Archie Fisher, "Men of Worth." Mary's arrangement captures all the rhythmic and instrumental power that the song's message demands.

The album's blend of traditional and contemporary themes is weighted toward the traditional, but the range of settings is very broad, so one doesn't tire of this collection. In "She Moved Through the Fair," originally a poem by James Stephens, the words and the arrangement are totally unlike anything I've ever heard. It shows, I believe, her willingness to stretch and create something truly unique. If you like a strong female voice both literally and figuratively, you must have this album.

A perfect melding of a beautiful voice with great material........1998-11-09

I love Mary Black's voice and this is her finest collection of music. Her renditions of traditional songs "Mo Ghile Mear", "She Moves Through the Fair", and "Fair Thee Well My Own True Love" are inspired . Her signature song, "Song for Ireland" is powerful and the anti-war song "My Youngest Son Came Home Today" is a work of art.

Some might say that "No Frontiers" is her finest album/CD but I prefer this because of the more traditional flavor. I just saw Mary in concert and she sang a few of the songs from this album but many more from "No Frontiers". So maybe I'm alone in my preference. Either way,if she comes through your town, don't miss her. Mary Black has a pure, powerful, and incredible voice.

Mary's Black's outstanding singing style.......1997-09-09

It was while driving on Highway 83, heading off to work, that I first came into contact with the voice of Mary Black. There I was driving along, humming, meandering among my thoughts whle traveling the blacktop when over the radio poured out a voice smooth as water with a depth and beautiful tonality that grabbed at my heart from the first note. Her "Song of Ireland" which is featured on this C.D. is not only my favorite song of hers but my favorite song of all. The words, the music, the melody line, and finally her voice combine to create not just a song but an experience. I was transported and frozen deep in listening while driving in the early morning traffic. Even after the last note dissapeared and I had scrambled to jot down the name of this amazing singer as the D.J. announced it, her song, her voice, stayed with me making my day that much brighter, more perfect, certianly more enjoyable. Mary Black's voice is an experince no true music lover should be without and I highly recommend this C.D. END

Average customer rating:

Rich Dworsky interprets the 70's
I take it everywhere
Wonderful songs beautifully performed and interpreted
back to the garden by richard dworsky

Back to the Garden
Richard Dworsky
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Path to You
The Heart of Spring: Richard Dworsky Piano Ensemble
A Prairie Home Companion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Limited Edition CD + DVD]
Start It All Over Again
Shake It, Break It, Hang It on the Wall

ASIN: B000000LWP
Release Date: 1994-02-09

Tracks:

Bus Stop
Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Guinnevere
Blowin' In The Wind
Blackbird
Lalena
Suzanne
Julia
The Circle Game
Woodstock

Customer Reviews:

Rich Dworsky interprets the 70's.......2005-09-29

This CD is a great piano rendering of some of the more popular songs of the 70's. I never liked Donovan much, but Rich's interpretation of Lalena is great. The best pieces on the CD, however, are both Beatles tunes: Julia and Blackbird. None of the songs have the feel of the 70's, but that is a good thing.

I take it everywhere.......2003-10-31

This is a wonderful CD. Dworsky's renditions are so lovely and so evocative that I have never gotten tired of any one of the songs, & out of the 100 or so CDs I own, I listen to this CD and Dworsky's "The Path to You" most often.
If you want truly beautiful, soothing piano music, try this luscious CD.
My only wish: that Mr. Dworsky would publish the sheet music.

Wonderful songs beautifully performed and interpreted.......2001-02-25

This is a beautifully performed recording. The selections are tasteful and the interpretations masterful. The songs are the ones us baby-boomers grew up with and the way Mr. Dworsky evocatively creates them seems to reach far back into memory. I never seem to grow tired of listening to this recording. It has a timeless and melancholy quality to it. This is a wonderful CD to rock your children to sleep with.

back to the garden by richard dworsky.......2000-02-06

I love this recording. It is one of my favorite to come home to. I wish he had more recordings!

Average customer rating:

Powerful Expressiveness
the best of mary
Believe...
One of Mary Black's Best
A heartbreakingly beautiful CD

By the Time It Gets Dark
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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No Frontiers
The Holy Ground
Circus
Babes in the Wood
Speaking with the Angel

ASIN: B000000LX7
Release Date: 1994-09-15

Tracks:

By The Time It Gets Dark
School Days Over
Once In A Very Blue Moon
Farewell Farewell
Sparks Might Fly
Katie
Leaving The Land
There Is A Time
Jamie
Leaboys Lassie
Trying To Get The Balance Right
Moon River
Don't Explain

Amazon.com essential recording

While other of her albums spanning the mid '80s to the middle of the following decade are marred by cheesy or tinny-sounding overproduction and a breakaway from the acoustic-based accompaniment that suits her most truthfully, By the Time It Gets Dark presents Mary Black, folk vocal stylist, at her best. Less dark than Sandy Denny, less twee than Nanci Griffith, yet coming from a similar tradition and approach, Black's vocals are warm, earthy, and expressive. Her live version of "Moon River" is sweet, pure, and sublimely lovely. And she's near about perfect on such well-chosen gems as Richard Thompson's "Farewell, Farewell" or (more popularly rendered by Griffith) "Once in a Very Blue Moon." By the Time It Gets Dark is thereby the most logical and pleasant step toward Black's more recent work of the new millennium. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews:

Powerful Expressiveness.......2003-01-31

This was the album that got me hooked on Mary Black. I'd already purchased some of her others because music fans I trust had told me her music's worth spending some time with. But I didn't really get sold on her until this album.

SPARKS MIGHT FLY was the first song that really won me over. With a lovely, gentle piano playing in the background, her voice really rings out strong and expressive. You can feel every word she belts out so that individual lines really get to you. Lines that don't sound so powerful on paper like, "I see my brother's face grow dark with care," then "Don't call him a misfit!" just hit you in the gut and resonate.

She really is just so expressive throughout this album. There's a subtle power to it that makes her voice more interesting than it would otherwise be. And it makes some of the songs which might not be so spectacular on their own really reach your heart. Like DON'T EXPLAIN is a song I normally wouldn't like because the singer is forgiving a man who cheats ... which is something that goes against my personal beliefs. But ... the way she sings it is so expressive and raw that I'm "with her" and on her side for the duration of the song. Now, that's talent when you can make someone who disagrees with you empathize as you sing.

I recommend BY THE TIME IT GETS DARK for anyone curious about why Mary Black is a favorite of so many music conniseurs. Listen to it several times. It won't be long before it starts to get to you.

the best of mary.......2002-10-09

Having bought all of Mary Black's records and having seen her live countless times, I think it is this album that most truly reflects what is special about her-even the cover is evocative! She has said elsewhere that with this record she and Declan Sinnott felt they were near to achieving the sound and direction they wanted.
Perhaps they feel that they really found it on the next album 'No Frontiers'-a fine record. But it is this record that I constantly go back to, where the arrangements are perfect; Pat Crowley's piano is terrific. The choice of material reflects a kind of sadness, which is beautifully evoked by the purest of voices. I don't think her wonderful voice sounds better than this on any other recording. It's a great balance of folky tunes such as 'Leaboys Lassie' and 'Schooldays Over' to the complex Noel Brazil song (what a loss was his recent death) 'Sparks Might Fly'. In essence this record, first issued in 1987, is the start of Mary Black's classic period upto 'Babes in the Wood' and captured on the great compilation 'The Collection'. A wonderful time it was to see her in concert-although she is still great live. One of the best records of its kind ,'By the Time it Gets Dark' will never date and Mary Black will forever stay young. Beautiful.

Believe..........2001-03-29

Believe the others. This is truly the most fully realized collection of some of the best songs, arrangements and volcals of any of her collections. Her singling is always bordering on perfection, but often her purest subtleties become clouded in overproduction. Not Here!

Listen with care to three of the best things she's ever done.

"Once in a Very Blue Moon" presents us with a borderless pop gem. Not Irish, Not American, simply universal pop. "Farewell, Farewell" is perhaps the prettiest "Celtic" inflected song she's ever blessed with her voice. "Katie", upon first listen, sounds like a good old fashioned pop ditty, that on closer inspection demonstrates just what can happen with a perfect hybrid of Celtic/American Folk/Pop.

These are only three, but all teh songs will be welcome in your ears many times over.

If you are unfamiliar with the seemingly limitless talent of Mary Black, this is a great disk to begin what will surely be a lifelong appreciation of this highly under-purchased artist.

Warning: Much of her later music, with the possible exception of her last "Speaking with the Angels", is mostly overproduced pop. There's nothing here to muck up the beautiful mix. Buy it, if only for the lovliest version of "Moon River" you'll ever hear.

One of Mary Black's Best.......2000-03-15

This is one of my favorite CDs. Tinged with sadness, this CD is about people in transition, from travellers (Farewell, Farewell), to young men going to work at the mines (Schoolday's Over). Listen to this when you are in a contemplative mood, trying to figure out what to do next.

A heartbreakingly beautiful CD.......1999-10-15

For those who will allow themselves to be vulnerable, this is an incredibly heartfelt recording. Richard Thompson's "Farewell, Farewell" alone is worth three times the price. Mary makes you feel every meaning. Declan Sinnott's guitar playing is an absolute joy, and the guitar sounds are delicious. This is one of those CDs that you want to listen to alone.

Average customer rating:

Mary Black at the top of her career
A wonderful, wonderful album!
A wonderful treat
Mary Black shines again
A voice from heaven, with songs and arrangements to match.

Babes in the Wood
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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General | International | Styles | Music

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Looking Back
The Holy Ground
By the Time It Gets Dark
No Frontiers
Circus

ASIN: B000000LWT
Release Date: 1994-02-25

Tracks:

Still Believing
Bright Blue Rose
Golden Mile
Babes In The Wood
The Thorn Upon The Rose
Brand New Star
Prayer For Love
Adam At The Window
The Dimming Of The Day
Might As Well Be A Slave
Just Around The Corner
The Urge For Going

Amazon.com essential recording

Not only is Mary Black the most popular female vocalist in Ireland, she has pulled off the rare feat of gaining the respect of fans of both contemporary and traditional music. Babes in the Woods went straight to the top of the Irish charts in 1991 and stayed there for six weeks. Black can make an ancient song sound new and a modern song sound centuries old. She has a knack for digging to the center of a song and revealing its secrets; witness her version of Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day," which may well be the most haunting reading ever of this beautiful song. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

Mary Black at the top of her career.......2001-04-29

As it turns out, when Mary left behind the talents of Noel Brazil (the songwriter) and Declan Sinnot (the guitarist and producer) things went downhill somewhat.

But here they are on this album, so it's the most likeable form Mary Black comes in, if not entirely satisfying. Brazil's songs are certainly unique, like Jimmy McCarthy's contribution on the CD, but don't always hit the mark.

Golden Mile, though, is excellent, with great atmosphere and timing. Suits Mary's voice perfectly. Likewise Bright Blue Rose, which has a similar ethereal quality. Nice subtle arrangements and haunting harmonies.

The title track is a curious Brazil song: it has the feel of a number from a stage musical that gives it a falsely dramatic effect. Adam At TheWindow (MacCarthy) is similarly overblown and ultimately meaningless. These are the sort of songs that have weakened Mary Black's albums through the years.

But it's worth getting the album for Kieran Goss's catchy Brand New Star, the classic Thorn Upon the Rose, and an excellent cover of Richard Thompson's Dimming of the Day.

Often used by hi-fi reviewers, the CD has a lovely deep, pure quality of sound. Only a few weak songs let it down a bit.

A wonderful, wonderful album!.......2000-03-14

I have listened to Mary Black for almost a decade now and own most of her albums, but this is one of my favorite. She has a beautiful voice, and is a pleasure to listen to. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys celtic music.

A wonderful treat.......1999-11-18

I was cruising the the music selections here at Amazon.com and listening to a variety of different things. Babes in the Wood was one I took a chance on after listening to the song selections. I absolutely love it! Based on that I went and bought everything by Mary Black. Now, after listening to her full repertoire, I can say that I still think that Babes in the Wood is fabulous. The best she has to offer. If you want to take a chance, this is the one!

Mary Black shines again.......1999-08-27

Mary Black has the most amazingly pure voice you could wish to hear. I defy anyone with a heart not to be moved to tears by "The Thorn upon the Rose". Her choice of material is impeccable and her delivery is peerless. The great thing about Mary Black is that she can reproduce the magic in concert as well. Declan Synnot's production is wonderfully understated. He knows that the power of Mary Black lies in her voice and the quality of the material. He shows commendable restraint in giving both the scope to blossom forth and envelope the listener with warmth and beauty. This is truly a album to treasure.

A voice from heaven, with songs and arrangements to match........1999-08-26

This is music to savour, an album that even - or especially - on repeated listening can leave you feeling cleansed and whole. Original material by young Irish writers, subtle arrangements and finely textured playing support a voice to die for. Difficult though it is to pick favourites, "The Thorn Upon the Rose" is particularly outstanding: a simple presentation of an image that speaks of profound truth, performed to devastating effect. I still daren't listen to it while driving!

Average customer rating:

Disappointing to Celtic music fans
Classic Mary Black

Mary Black
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Collected
Without the Fanfare
Circus
By the Time It Gets Dark
Shine

ASIN: B000000LWV
Release Date: 1994-02-25

Tracks:

Rose Of Allendale
Lovin' You
Loving Hannah
My Donald
Crusader
Anachie Gordon
Home
God Bless The Child
Rare's Hill

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing to Celtic music fans.......2003-01-01

This album's okay, but a bit of a disappointment to those of us who prefer her old Celtic and traditional songs, which are sparse here.

Classic Mary Black.......1999-11-08

This is the first recording of Mary Black I ever had - given to me by a friend. It is one of my favorite CDs. Her rendtion of Rose of Allendale is classic and Anachie Gordon is hauntingly beautiful. If you like Mary Black, this is a must have recording.

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Magical Voice
Good But Not Great
Good but not great

Without the Fanfare
Mary Black
Manufacturer: Gift Horse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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The Holy Ground
Mary Black
Shine
Speaking with the Angel
By the Time It Gets Dark

ASIN: B000000LWX
Release Date: 1994-02-25

Tracks:

There's A Train That Leaves Tonight
State of Heart
Nightime
The Crow On The Cradle
Greatest Dream
The Water Is Wide
Ellis Island
Strange Thing
Without The Fanfare
As I Leave Behind Neidin
Diamond Days
Going Gone

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2004-05-07

I discovered Mary Black last summer when I downloaded Going Gone. I've since bought everything I could find. Without The Fanfare is my favorite of all her albums. It's perfect and my 11 year old agrees it's her best album. Can't believe I'd never heard of her in all my years of listening.
Buy anything she records; it won't disappoint you.

Magical Voice.......2003-11-10

Mary Black still possesses one of the most enchanting singing voices in the world today.This recording affords some opportunities to showcase her wonderful vocals although, it has to be said, her choice of material has improved since this album was recorded.

The rendition of Ellis Island is particularly powerful and poignant.A song of separation, loss and national and personal pain is gut wrenching in the intensity and beauty of the delivery here.

There's a train that leaves tonight is evocative and moving.

Without the fanfare is simple and elegant.Mary does it full justice.

Other tracks are adequate although the crystal clarity of Mary Black's voice makes them seem better than they are.

Good But Not Great.......2000-06-06

Anything that Mary Black records is a pleasure for the listener. However, she has done better recordings than this one. There is a certain lack of energy that makes one tire half way into the cd. It also doesn't have as much of the Irish overtones that have marked her other recordings, and which I have found exceptionally enjoyable.

Good but not great.......2000-01-19

It hits the mark on certain songs, but all in all she's recorded better ones.

Average customer rating:

Scaling new heights

Christmas in Vienna
Placido Domingo , Diana Ross , and Jose Carreras
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

A Gala Christmas in Vienna
The Three Tenors Christmas
Very Special Season
#1 Christmas Album
Christmastime in Vienna

ASIN: B0000028YU
Release Date: 1993-10-05

Tracks:

Intoruction: Jingle Bells
Mille cherubini in coro
Amazing Grace
Wiegenlied
Carol Of The Drum
The Gift Of Love
Navidad
White Christmas
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Adeste Fideles
If We Hold On Together
Medley: O Tannenbaum - Minuit, Chretien - Jingle Bells - La Virgen lava panales - O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Tu scendi dalle stelle - Joy To The World
Silent Night

Customer Reviews:

Scaling new heights.......2001-01-02

On the soundtrack to a PBS TV Special that coincided with the Christmas Season of 1992, this set reached the the Top 10 that Christmas in several European countries. La Ross, ever able to meld her voice around difficult arrangements and changing styles,once again holds her own with two opera stars.

The novel "Upside Down" seemed challenging enough; Ross was able to hit the notes, while all the while adjusting the speed of her soft and airy voice to adjust to the tempo of the track. Even Ross' critics who contend her voice is too light and airy, or that she is one to emphasize style over substance in her pop work would have to concede that neither is sacrificed for the other here. Both elements are at play in a presentation full of grace and finnesse-which is what such a degree of a great performance would require.

Here, she shines on solos "Amazing Grace" and "Ave Maria". "Ave Maria" is notoriously difficult to deliver-especially in a dead language. Ostensibly, "Ave Maria" is in Latin. Thrown in for good measure is her then-current British chart entry-that is, "If We Hold On Together" from "The Land Before Time", a huge hit in Japan years earlier that contains all the majestic power of an opera.

Speaking of scaling majestic heights, the cut spent two years in the top-twenty in Japan and subsequently was certified quadruple-platinum and was at the time of its pinnacle the best-selling single by a foreign artist in Japan.

Music Album:

Music Album