Music in the Glen

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"FUAR... is a mix of holiday standards and Irish tunes. The mix works beautifully, with instrumentals giving way to light and airy vocals and back again.  After listening to this CD the first time,  I was shocked that this band, which sounds so quintessenially Irish, is from Atlanta, Georgia.  With their traditional sound and damn fine fiddle playing, I expected them to be sheltered away in some gorgeous little town south of County Cork or some such.  But no, for those in the States, they're right here where you can see 'em.  Which is a very good thing if the music on the CD is any guide."

-Denise Dutton Greenman Review

Fuar, meaning “cold” in Irish, is a perfect compliment for the winter days ahead. The 14 shimmering tracks on Music in the Glen’s debut pull off melodies of traditional Irish in stunning fashion. Susan Moran delivers breathtaking, earthy vocals, complimenting her talents on bodhran in “The Verdant Braes of Skreen.” “Humors of Tulla” is a gleeful, firey dance, with Katherine Irwin Thomas and Suzanne Harner performing a splendid dance on the fiddles, creating a hauntingly beautiful sound.

Encompassing a bright atmosphere, one feels swept away and taken to the heart of an Irish town, as these songs blend a mixture of love and hope. Jason Killingsworth sends a mighty cry of emotion through his delicate painting of Uileann pipes, whistles, accompanying vocals and lush guitars.Doug Murray rounds off this unforgettable Irish five with deftly crafted notes on bouzouki, guitars and sweeping tenor guitars, richly layered of with echo-drenched chorus and sweet sustain.“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is four minutes of Christmas joy, and “Christmas Day” brings back memories of family get-togethers past. Composed by Faithless brother and sister alumni Dido and Rollo Armstrong, the vocals help bring out such outstanding lyrics and songcraft, as Killingsworth and Moran reflect in chilling, hypnotic fashion, “Yes, I swear to you I shall return on Christmas day.”

A powerful highlight of the album has to be John McCutcheon’s “Christmas in the Trenches,” as the singers cry, “As Christmas brought us respite from the war,” and the soldiers of France and Germany, “We met hand to hand/We shared some secret brandy / And wished each other well / We traded chocolate cigarettes / And photographs from home.”
The instrumental performances are stirring, full of emotional lift and resonating life. Feel the drone and sonic moods of “An Buachaill Caol Dubh.” Each of the five compliment each other, spinning their respective notes in a circle, as they feed off each other to create such fine chemistry and energy.

-Shawn M. Haney Southeast Performer Magazine

"As all you Gaelic scholars will be aware, Fuar means cold. I gather from the track listing here this may refer to the season to which many of the songs and tunes relate. What it most definitely does not describe is the playing this ensemble. They have a lovely style and vibrancy as they take on some lovely traditional songs and tunes and mix in a few of their own.

On The Verdant Braes of Skreen, the female vocalist reminds me very much of The Johnstons and, on a more local Wexford level, Shades of McMurrough. They give us the familiar song with just enough extras to sound old and new at the same time. They bring that same love of the music to the beautiful Air Tune and combine it with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I know that’s Christmas music and this is summer but good music crosses seasons as well as borders so don’t be so ’seasonist’. The winter theme continues with the wonderful Christmas Day, a song new to me but one that I really enjoyed. The song Star of the County Down was almost ‘done to death’ for my generation as one of the songs you had to learn in primary school with ‘the brothers’. It is refreshing to hear it years later and especially with the nice light fresh arrangement on offer here.

Another delight was to hear The Wexford Carol performed so beautifully from their haunting introduction and on to the vocal.This is a CD that could be the ideal Christmas present for a lover of Irish music - maybe yourself - but why wait for the cold weather? Remember it can be ‘fuar’ in Ireland all the time."

-Nicky Rossiter Irish Music Magazine

Star of the County Down

Irish Pipe Slow Air & Reels with Step Dancer

Music in the Glen - Fuar