SHANTALLA
From the East unto the West
Philippe Cousin
Formed in 1997, the band Shantalla continues its career twenty-two years later. A career interspersed with a break between 2005 and 2009 and featuring four magnificent albums, the latest of which, From the East unto the West, was released this autumn.
Composed of five Irish musicians and a Scottish singer Helen Flaherty, the members of the band have lived in Belgium for decades and are a bit like the Irish diaspora, with no less than 90 million people around the world. Despite the eight years separating them from their previous album, they haven't lost any of their talent, quite the contrary. They serve us here eleven superb tracks, including five Scottish and one Irish song, pieces from both Ireland and Scotland but also from North America and even Brittany. As the very beautiful andro/hanter dro Ynis Avalach and the first tune of the last track Breaking Wind, taken from Gilles Le Bigot's repertoire.
Tunes composed by the band members, accordionist Gerry Murray and flutist and uilleann piper Michael Horgan, but also borrowed from Charlie Lennon, Maurice McGrath, Brian McNeill, Joe Liddy, Michael McGoldrick and Lorcán Fahy the son of Kieran, Shantalla's fiddler. Guitars, bouzouki, fiddle, uilleann pipes, flutes agree to offer us a powerful, fresh, lively music that has nothing to envy that played in the sessions of the green Érin. Moreover, Shantalla means "old land" in Irish and refers to their country of origin. Their style is on a par with the biggest Irish bands and their talent is well proven. Let's bet they won't wait another eight years for their next recording.
Appel Rekords APR1389 - www.shantallamusic.com