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Some may call it the luck of the Irish while others may say it’s just serendipity, but receiving “Celtic Revival!” by the Sky Family a few weeks before St. Patrick’s Day was akin to the luck of the leprechauns. What other holiday allows everyone to be Irish for a day? I don’t know of another one.
Like the legendary pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow “Celtic Revival!” is indeed a treasure to be unearthed. Eight tracks that trip the light fantastic from folk to rock to pop to prog then back again. Most are instrumental (six to be exact) and when we hear some singing it’s the pretty voice of Miriam Sky, a little lass who has a way with melody that’s as fresh and welcomed as an Irish spring morning.
Speaking of spring, her stand out performance on the song “Blossom” is exceptional. It’s a song for all seasons, but with hints of spring weather already coaxing the plants outside our window back to life once again, it’s especially apropos. She’s also the featured vocalist on “Who Is Like Him”, the only other non-instrumental on the album.
The lads in the Sky Family are no slouches at what they do on “Celtic Revival!” either. The farther-son dueling fiddles provided by Joel and Tom Sky are the fire that makes up the Sky Family flame. Seth and Gabe Sky on guitars and along with Dan on the drums are the glue that helps hold the band’s sound together. I least not fail to mention that their singer, the aforementioned Miriam, also does double duty as keyboardist and that the family as a whole swaps their instruments like stories between long lost friends. Musical versatility is no stranger to this clan.
Of the instrumentals on this compilation my favorite was “Life on the Hedge”. It’s fast, it’s fun, and just when you think you know where it’s going it throws you for a loop that leaves your head spinning. These folk know how to rock out with their kilts out, and no matter what genre they delve into, with the Sky Family (www.theskys.org), the Celtic flavor is never far away.
Jake Chambers