Remember the music that was playing during the steerage party in Titanic? That was Gaelic Storm, who on their self-titled debut present an engaging mix of traditional music, dance music, and songs, all performed with energy and enthusiasm. The album opens with "Hills of Connemara," a fast-paced tune with a long instrumental section before the vocals begin, thus giving you a taste of the considerable musical talent present in this group. "Bonnie Ship the Diamond/Tamlinn" is a fast, almost breathless piece with plenty of dramatic phrasing, while "The Farmer's Frolic" has a swinging shuffle feel. Particularly engaging are the strongly rhythmic "Rocky Road to Dublin/Kid on the Mountain" and the energetic closer "The Road to Liskeard," but it's all strong material that reminds one at times of early Chieftains recordings. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great band, Great Music
Comment: This is a fantastic irish band that knows their genre, from slow, beautiful folk tunes to high energy fiddle thrashing and funny lyrics. They are, by far, my favorite Irish or Gaelic band.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not for a fiddle...
Comment: I enthusiastically bought this CD, looking for a well-rounded Irish band. This isn't it! I was SOOOOO disappointed. Basically, there are two songs on the CD--one with words and one instrumental. All the instrumentals sound so similar as to be almost indistinguishable. I put the CD back for sale on Amazon. Guess I'll get another Corrs. Can't go wrong there!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: very cool irish music
Comment: If you wanna get into irish music, this is a great place to start. They really capture the energy and the irish, dancin' joy of life, you can almost be in the pub. One of the more excellent traditionally celtic bands, of today.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Foot tappin' and head noddin' music
Comment: I bought this CD after returning from a vacation to Ireland in Aug. It definitely reminds me of a great trip. I only wish I had the talent to join in one of the music seisiuns that you find in every Irish pub (the musicians never buy their own Guinness!).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The most rollickin' good time
Comment: This album will not disappoint you, if you buy it new or used. Referred to as "the steerage band" for the movie Titanic, these guys do not disappoint. You'll understand why that particular scene was so charged with happy energy--it's because these guys made an album so estatically enthusiastic for life you can't help but enjoy yourself.

It's audio Prozac. Give it a whirl--you won't regret it. If for nothing else, it contains the best version of Johnny Jump Up I've ever heard, and the Bonnie Ship the Diamond.

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