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McDONNELL TRIO

A Family Odyssey

Philippe Cousin

After many years of playing, singing and touring with Taxi Mauve and Dirty Linen, Michael McDonnell and his sons Simon and Kevin formed the McDonnell Trio in 2006.

Over the past fifteen years, they have released three albums: Songbook in 2009, It's a Long Way to Tipperary in 2014 and SongBox in 2018. They are back in 2023 with a new opus, A Family Odyssey, a superb album once again. In five days of recording the three McDonnells have brought out 20 songs from the Irish tradition, arranged with taste and originality.

From the outset, one is struck by the dominant vocals, supported by a host of instruments played by the father and his sons. Let's see: guitar, mandolin and banjo for Michael, guitar, banjo, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán for Simon and accordion for Kevin.
And then there are the three voices, sometimes solo, sometimes in unison, sometimes in harmony and a capella, the real cornerstone of the trio. With, on a track in Irish, Tráthnóna Beag Aréir, the talented Donegal singer Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh lends them her airy voice.
The album is based on an old photograph of Michael's parents from their honeymoon, a photo that symbolises the beginning of their family odyssey. This new album, the fourth, invites us into the McDonnell family world.
All the themes dear to the Irish tradition are present here, from exile and return to the hard life of the tinkers, Irish travellers - Thirty Foot Trailer. Our three friends skilfully mix original compositions by Ewan MacColl, Tim Russell - Gallo del Cielo - or Sinéad O'Connor - This is a Rebel Song - with traditional songs, real gems from Donegal, Ulster but also from England or the Appalachians.
From start to finish, the accuracy and warmth of the voices compete with the vocal harmonies that illuminate the Irish repertoire in a luminous way. The sensitivity is pervasive, the timbre of the voices combined with the instrumental complicity, gives this family odyssey an unparalleled emotional dimension.
With each of their albums, the trio has demonstrated a certain talent. With this new opus, they prove once again that their reputation for excellence is not usurped.

TVB Production / ODY001 - https://mcdonnellmusic.bandcamp.com