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For those not familiar with the delightfully entertaining international phenomenon known as Celtic Woman (which has appeared often on PBS stations across the country over the last 4 years) here's a gorgeous introduction (in more ways than one):

Please note that Caledonia is the old name for Scotland:

Lisa Kelly sings "Caledonia"

And while you're "in there" check out all the other wonderful videos available in this series.

Here is the schedule for the upcoming U.S. tour - get your tickets early!

Tour Dates

Regards, JF

P.S. posted this in Non-classical but thought those of you who don't go there should be apprised also.

Hi John, thanks for posting that - great song!

Whilst it's not my favourite version of the song, I think it is my favourite video of it

Thanks JF. I forgot how much I liked this song. I have a CD from Dougie Maclean who performed this song (wrote it? not sure.) somewhere. I'll have to dig it out.

Aw, shucks, I saw the subject line and thought you were talking to me!!

No, really, Celtic Women are great. Wonderful performers, beautiful voices.

Yes, Dougie wrote it - saw him perform it in concert some years ago - it's a very lyrical autobiographical song and a lovely and moving tribute to his homeland - I always liked his simple acoustic version best, at least until I saw this one by Lisa Kelly - now I'm not sure - but it doesn't really matter since we can enjoy both, each in their own special way.

Regards, JF

Euan - I can understand at least two reasons why you think that is a great song - and at least one reason why that is your favorite video of it

Regards, JF

I always remember the song from my childhood, when this commercial was popular:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E

It essentially follows the meaning of the song - someone living away from their homeland, not quite fitting in, and returns home again.

Incidentally, the version of the song in the advert is by Frankie Miller, which has almost become the 'standard' version over here.

(...but I still do like mrs Kelly )

Mak...you'd look great on stage with your hammer earrings on stage....

We're - B&S-in-Law/wife and I are thinking of treating our moms to the show in Feb. Our niece bought my wife a ticket one year for Christmas and she loved it ... they are really good. I have a CD in my car right now ...

Euan - I am always very irritated when a great piece of music is used (and abused) in a commercial (or advert, as you call it) - it's one of my biggest "pet peeves" - I know (and support) the right of the composer to authorize it's use in any way he/she sees fit (assuming it's still under copywrite) but I'm totally opposed to it's use that way (at least for the songs that I really like) - I think companies should have the decency to pay composers to come up with original pieces for their products, and some do.

One of the more recent and worst violations in this regard was the use of part of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" by an airline (United, I think) in it's commercials - what a terrible corruption of a great pice of music!

I can still recall from my own childhood (just a few decades ago) how a dog food company used the main theme of Strauss's "Blue Danube Waltz" in it's commercials (with barking dogs, no less) - to this day I can't hear that delightful work without thinking of that damn dog food!

Regard (and wondering why Dougie Maclean's excellent rendition of his own song isn't the "standard" version there), JF

Just to answer the last point first.

Maybe the Dougie Maclean version is more popular than I gave it credit for. But for myself and my friends, we grew up just as a) the advert was played and b) Frankie Miller released the song into the charts. And it's the version that tends to get played either on television or radio, so that's why I called it the 'standard' version.

As for the first point - it may irritate you that the song got used, but for me it actually fits the advert perfect. And if you read the comments below the clip, alot of other people feel sentimental to the advert as well.

It's hard to explain, but it does reflect the reality that when alot of Scots move to England to live and work, they get sentimental about home, and look forward to moving back to Caledonia (been there, done that!).

Sorry for distracting things away from those Celtic ladies....

The song "Walking in the air" included in their 1st album has been also sung years ago by a Finnish gothic-metal band called Nightwish (band which I love)

I don't know if you may like this "earlier version", but give it a try too!
It was included in the CD "Oceanborn"

Now then,... here\'s a real Celtic princess, singing in a real Celtic language!

cruiser - very nice - very real !

Regards, JF

cruiser: I clicked on the link you had in your post to YouTube. Thank you! I enjoyed very much that performance of Wales national anthem.

I've been a fan of English, Irish and Scottish folk music for 30 years or so. The woman who is singing on YouTube - for me, that's how folk music is to be experienced. Her performance is, shall I say, just a wee bit less contrived than the Celtic Woman extravaganza.

With regards to Celtic Woman, something about hearing folk music with lip synched vocals and prerecorded accompaniment in what is supposedly a "live performance" delivered by women wearing low cut evening gowns showing cleavage, flouncing their skirts and flashing their backside to the tv cameras irritates the heck out of me! Is this production about the music? Or something else?

Celtic Woman seems to me to be about flash and making the experience of Celtic folk music more palatable to the masses.

Jeanne W

(There seems to be a controversy brewing about whether the women and whether the musicians are actually playing or are just lip synching and pretending to play their instruments when performing on stage. Looks to me like at least some of it is "canned". ?)

Jeanne w - you seem greatly "irritated" (as you say) and yet a little confused - maybe you're irritated because you're confused?

You seem confused because in your 1st paragraph you claim outright that the music of Celtic Woman involves "lip-synched vocals" and "pre-recorded accompaniment", and then in your footnote you say that there is "some controversy" about whether or not this is actually happening.

So, which is it?

Do you have any definite proof that this is the case, or does it just simply "look to you as if some of it is canned"?

It doesn't look like that to me. You can usually tell sooner or later. I've seen these shows over & over and have never detected a hint of that.

And exactly what's wrong with adding a little flash to a show in which there's already a great deal of substance. A little exposed cleavage, flounced skirts and flashed backsides never hurt anyone - they're already flaunting their musical talent - why not their other "assets"? :p

You would seem to need to lighten up a bit and enjoy the show more. When good entertainment is so hard to find these days don't knock a rare occurrence of it when it manages to rise above the general onslaught of third rate garbage.

Regards, JF

There is also a difference between "canned" and outright "faked." A lot of major productions today use some amount of sequenced or "canned" music. It's a lot easier than hauling 250 or more musicians around the world. And since the technology is there, why not use it? Not that I am saying that anyone, big or small scale, should completely depend on the pre-recorded stuff and not perform at all live. I'm not advocating Milli Vanilli here.

As for the production part of it, well, in some ways we are talking apples and oranges here. Sure, groups like Celtic Women are performing what is basically folk music, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for both the flashy stage show and the simple folk singer with a guitar or harp or whatever for accompaniment. And if you expose the "masses" to the beauty of the music by appealing to their desire for flashy and large scale, where's the harm? It's two different applications, and I, for one, can easily enjoy both.

Ooooh, you better watch it! Guys are going to hate you for this post. :p

Save your accusations for Ashlee Simpson.

Mak - thanks for adding this - I was thinking much the same thing - glad you had the same, a, er, profound thoughts!

Regards, JF