Today Peter Crawley reviews Anúna at the National Concert Hall, Tony Clayton-Lea saw Gail Davies at the Spirit Store and Mary Phelan was at Desmond Dekker and the Aces at An Grianán.
Anúna
National Concert Hall, Dublin
Peter Crawley
15th anniversary concert of Ireland's premier choral group was aptly entitled "Celestial Voices". Such heavenly vocal melodies compose Anúna's greatest strength, but intriguingly, they can sometimes be dissatisfying. In order to savour harmony, you have to first taste discord.
Victimae began with Gregorian chant, the male choir's ascending lilt underscored by a basso profondo that seemed floor-rumbling subsonic. They were gradually joined by a complement of female singers, whose roles remained troublingly minor throughout the evening. Despite some stunning solo contributions, the female contingent is seemingly expendable during several inclusions. To be fair, this is simply how certain medieval texts or the traditional Irish Dúlamán (a stomping seaweed-themed Haka) were supposed to be heard. But the obscured female role on an otherwise wonderful Bohemian Gaudete, and an inverted-gender rendition of a song about female jealousy are vaguely disconcerting.
Indeed, the greatest triumph of the night was the inclusive Quis Est Deus, an exhortation to God performed with devastating beauty and conflict by soloists Miriam Blennerhasset and Monica Donlon. Later, Jerusalem was an all-female "surround sound" performance, based on the trickling harmonic device of heterophony.
Michael McGlynn (composer, vocalist and director of the evening) and his Janus-faced twin John McGlynn (vocalist, guitarist and co-director) should know all about conflict. If Michael's pleasant-curate manner is serene, John's "rock-star" sensibilities are its foil, as he makes jokes, complaints and (at one point) mistakes. He even dresses in black while everyone else sports a sort of John Rocha-uniformed celticism.
The beatific Michael explains that his compositions don't have to be "authentic", what matters is that the melody is beautiful. The transcendental Pie Jesu may prove his case, but a succession of purely pleasing arrangements felt like a video montage of happy endings. Anúna's soothing harmonies work best when there is a conflict to resolve.
Gail Davies
Spirit Store, Dundalk
Tony Clayton-Lea
It's always interesting to see how once famous artists hold up their end of a failing Faustian pact: will they retreat into themselves, shrivel up creatively and sulk over what might have been? Or will they tear up the contract, shake the dust from their heels and get on with their lives?
It looks as if country singer/songwriter/producer Gail Davies has opted for the latter, which is why a small and intimate venue is host to a Grammy winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry and one of the most successful US female country acts of the late 1970s. Never one for rhinestones and baubles, a very smart-looking Davies comes across as one of those assertive women that diehard Nashville cowboys tend to steer clear of. Throughout her excellent performance - assisted by a superb band that has intuition grafted onto intelligence; Fran Breen, drums, Mark Webb, guitar, Paul Kelly, mandolin/fiddle, and Davies' husband, Rob Price, bass - she charged through a veritable history of country music tunes.
Those included cover versions (The Louvin Brothers' Are You Teasing Me), songs she has written for other people (Round The Clock Lovin' for KT Oslin), and her own hits, The Trouble With Love, Hillbilly Highway and Bucket To The South.
When she wasn't casually, confidently namedropping (everyone from Charlie Louvin to Steve Earle, Roger Miller to Vince Gill), Davies was able to prove why she has been such a subtle influence on country music over the past 20 years. Her style is such that she can effortlessly cover many country styles in a multi-layered voice that never once lets her down. She says she'll be back, and who are we to disbelieve? You'd be downright foolish to miss her.
Desmond Dekker and the Aces
An Grianán, Letterkenny
Mary Phelan
Dekker is moving to Donegal. Leaving behind dreams of returning to the blue skies of his native Jamaica. Well, maybe not quite. But such was the enthusiasm that greeted the legendary reggae hero in Letterkenny on Friday night that Delroy Williams, Dekker's dreadlocked cheerleader and bass harmony line, announced that Dekker wants to live here.
Dekker, and his excellent four piece backing band, were in top form. His energy and vitality seemed not at all depleted from his 60th birthday celebrations earlier in the week. Looking lean and fit, he pranced, danced and crooned his way through the gamut of old favourites, including 007 (Shanty Town), So Near and Yet So Far Away, The Israelites, and as a final encore, You Can Get It If You Really Want, the song that launched his career, and the first reggae song to make it to number 1 in the British charts.
The gig took off from the very first chord played by The Aces in their current incarnation, none of whom were introduced by name. They proved a masterful group of musicians, though without a dreadlock in sight. This, however, was more than compensated for by Delroy Williams, who probably hasn't cut his hair since Bob Marly played in Dalymount.
Strangely enough, the audience didn't look like they were of the "hey, ganja man" persuasion. Only two sets of dreadlocks were spotted among them. But I did spot a mobile phone cover with the deadly weed on it, but that was about it. Nonetheless, the audience got into the groove from the beginning. Well before the end, everyone was on their feet, with the exception of one elderly lady who, although enjoying herself, didn't exactly look like a likely candidate for a reggae gig. All in all, a night to remember, and definitely one of the highlights of this year's Earagail Arts Festival.
