 |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter |
A positive energy and message in her
songs, Carpenter sang resilience songs.
This was a concert in three sets - First
up was the beautiful voice of Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. She sang the Beatle’s ‘Blackbird’ and her set was far too
short!
 |
| Julie Fowlis |
Next was the fun accomplished
folk band the Altan from Donegal,
who played energizing reels and jigs. Their lead singer and violinist Mairead
Ni Mhaonaigh sang movingly in the Irish Gaelic. The group has collaborated with
Dolly Parton, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt and others.
 |
| Altan |
The main event was with the Grammy-winning Mary Chapin Carpenter who performed songs from her 2014 ‘The Things That we are
Made Of’, such as the well crafted song ‘Something Tame, Something Wild.’ She hoped she might offer some balance to the freak show happening in America, which drew
a loud clap!
She spoke of walking in the Blue Ridge
mountains near her home and of how she was inspired to write a song ‘Oh
Rosetta’, by the spirit of the celebrated gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe,
who was the godmother of rock n roll and played rings around others. She also
enjoyed being inside a perfect song with a intimate interpretation of Lucinda
William’s ‘Passionate Kisses’.
We had only MCC’s husky, honey-toned
voice and guitar for a tender ‘This Shirt’. Then she took the tempo and her
voice up several notches with a rocky, blues songs – ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’, ‘I
Feel Lucky’ and ‘I Took my Chances’ backed by the full luxurious musicality of
her band of grand piano, electric guitar and drums. The words of her songs
often reach out and reflect on life’s extremes. MCC is also a talented
guitarist.
The theme of Celtic Connections this
year is women musicians and tonight certainly celebrated their
contributions! For a grand finale we had
Julie, the Altans and a surprise appearance of dubro player Jerry Douglas on
stage for ‘He Thinks He’ll Keep Her’. Certainly one of the treats of the
festival!
