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For an independant, launching an album into the public domain requires a far greater leap of faith than someone who has got the funding and distribution power of a big conglomerate behind them.
For Celine Carroll, Such A Beautiful Light is the third such leap and it's high time that this Beautiful Light is dazzling , let alone dawning upon, the fogbound blinkered ones sat in the offices of the likes of Sony, EMI. Warner & Co.
To make matters easier still for them lot upstairs , this album has been mastered by award winners in the USA, the sleeve notes have been graphically designed and even the front cover shows Celine playing jazzy B minor on a Gretsch. She keeps good company. Duane Eddy , Chet Atkins and Ted Nugent are also noted Gretsch players.
And needless to say that when so much meticulous work has gone into achieving the finished product, the content should warrant the expense incurred. Well, if reassurances over that particular issue were needed, her previous albums , Itch and Catch You As You Fall have barely been away from my CD player for almost 5 years. Such A Beautiful Light carries the same hallmarks as its predecessors.
This album took about a month to get through its initial recording, but the rest of year was spent in listening remixing and adding bits here and there before release. This painstaking journey in pursuit of perfection is best summed up in Celine’s explanation of Sweet Heart Of Mine. This song set out with the intent to give the feel of Paul McCartney’s O bla di O bla da. , it evolved into something akin to C Moon and it was just wanting that final hook. Along came the brass section which was added to the top of the song for the final mix. The end product bathes you in Caribbean sunshine and will lift you out of the foulest of moods.
The key to any form of true entertainment is to experience emotional highs and lows. One of those highs has already been accounted for , the lows are in there too in the form of at least two tracks, namely The Wheels Fall Off Our Love and you’ll pause for reflection with I Remember A Time.
This album is a friendly passenger in your car , a bit of company with your glass of wine or someone to call up on your iPod. It’s safe to take anywhere. In fact, there is only one thing lacking on this album and that’s monotony.
There are names to conjure with as well. Apart from Celine herself, you will find Jerry Fehily , ex Hothouse Flowers on drums and Fiachra Trench, famed for string arrangements on Fairytale Of New York and one or two surprises in the list of thank yous.
Such A Beautiful Light is available on iTunes, and for those who prefer to paw their way through the sleeve notes, this CD is available from the following Dublin outlets : HMV in Grafton St, Tower Records in Wicklow St and Celtic Note in Nassau St. You can also email Celine via her website, Ask nicely and you might get an autographed copy.
WEST DUBLIN ACCESS RADIO
Check out Celine Carroll's appearance on WDAR (West Dublin Access Radio). Interviewing her is Frank Radio ....
