Sharon Shannon’s New CD, County Galway – Irish Republicby Rob Howard |
Diatonic accordionist Sharon Shannon’s latest CD, ‘Sacred Earth’, is an eclectic recording of arrangements of traditional Irish tunes and Irish-influenced compositions, cheerfully mixed in with often unexpected styles from around the world, including Blues, North and West African music and reggae, exploring new styles. On this recording she works with various other musicians such as Finbarr Furey – vocals on ‘He'll Have to Go’, six Shetland fiddlers on ‘Frenchie’s Reel’, and kora player Seckou Keita on ‘Sea Shepherd’. Tracks: Rusheen Bay, Sacred Earth, The Machine, Bas Pelles, Pull Out the Stops, He'll Have to Go, Frenchie's Reel, The Merry Widow, Let’s Go, Sea Shepherd, The Bull Fiddle Sharon Shannon, from County Clare but now living in Galway, plays the diatonic 2 row button accordion, melodeon, fiddle, and tin whistle. Originally a competitive show jumper, she switched to playing music professionally in the mid-1980s, and has since enjoyed a very successful international career. She was briefly a member of The Waterboys, but plays mainly as a soloist with her own backing musicians. Sharon Shannon is especially popular with younger audiences, and is well-known as an innovator who incorporates other styles such as French-Canadian, Portuguese, Cajun, and Reggae into Irish traditional music. |