Before We Change Our Mind

• Before We Change Our Mind
• Brand: Rounder
• Product Type : Abis Music

Product Description Returning centre stage with a more mature and rounded effort, Beoga break off the shackles of rising stars tag to produce a record that will surely position them at the arc of Irish traditional music's new wave. Whilst achieving the difficult feat of gratifying their burgeoning band of avid followers, Before We Change Our Mind will unquestionably entice new disciples aboard the good ship Beoga. Under the stewardship of producer Michael Keeney (Foy Vance & Ed Sheeran, Lisa Hannigan & Bonnie Rait), recording was undertaken with live takes where possible, resulting in a refreshing and ebullient feel, whilst losing none of the polish or veracity of previous efforts. Confirming their reputation for innovation, all seven instrumentals on the album are original compositions from the band. In a departure from previous recordings the songs draw more on the folk song tradition with The Bonny Ship, The Diamond drawn from the vast repository of the godfather of folk Ewan McColl, alongside the Tommy Makem classic Farewell To Carlingford and Wexford Town, a song long associated with the travelling singer Pecker Dunne, incidentally a relative of Niamh's. With guest appearances from such luminaries as Stephen McCartney & Rachel Coulter (Farriers) and The Arco String Quartet (Villagers, Duke Special) it s no surprise that the sound that has been achieved is euphonic, tuneful, cinematic, even symphonic at times, yet it never loses that unique Beoga voice which was forged all those years ago at the Fleadhs and sessions in County Antrim and further afield. The bedrock of the Beoga sound lies firmly within the Irish tradition. However, they are not afraid to incorporate other genres' nuances into their music. From bluesy riffs to Astor Piazzola style jazz, to a raunchy New Orleans jamboree vibe, their music always returns to a wonderfully bouncy Irish sound. The result is traditional, with a huge sense of fun and adventure. Review 'The best new traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century' - Wall Street Journal; 'Top-drawer… some of the best music in the world today' - Irish Music Magazine; One of the reasons this album is such a joy is that you can hear them keeping up the traditional line, but adding mischievous lines of chords and bass and stunning bodhrán rhythms. If you have a taste for ceili music, you will hear it... This album is fun, furious and fast changing in pace, and is a brilliant, shining example of how inventive and passionate musicianship makes traditional music live forever! --Annemarie de Bie, Living Tradition Take a handful of insanely talented Irish musicians, two accordions, guitar, fiddle, bodhran, piano and vocals. Add 14 years of writing and gigging and four stunning studio albums and you will have some idea of where Beoga are at now, on their fifth studio album. Also thrown into the mix on this release are a string quartet, a bass and some backing singers. Beoga have already proven themselves to be well worthy of their place among the greatest of the international folk scene. The worry with bands like this is that they eventually run out of steam. These guys show no sign of deceleration, however, and continue to pump out the high-energy brand of virtuosic Celt-shred they are renowned for. Among the floor-fillers are some beautiful, more soulful numbers featuring the warming voice of Niamh Dunne, and some slower instrumental numbers with real groove. The perfect setting for listening to this album? Driving along a rugged coastline on a stormy day - **** --Tom Newell, Songlines