10 Feb AMP Review: The Bonny Men
Music Synch Licensing from Ireland
Right from the onset of this self titled debut album you are driven into a furious jig through the magic of summerwoods, the sun is slipping through a multitude of greens to reach your upturned face, there is no stopping the Bonny Men, and on their sturdy shoulders you will be borne away happily. There is plenty of drama and majesty in this music that was recorded live over four days. You are never very far from the explosive or mournful tunes of Irish pub sessions, yet it is far from the only thing that this band is capable of. There is fierceness, politics, and wild mythic battles, as well as moments of time travel. On Dig A Well a gentle male vocal (Joey Doyle) is accompanied by solely a guitar. In Morcambe Bay you are treated to a folk song, with a contemporary theme, in the veins of Luca Bloom or Christy Moore. Planxty, via a harpsichord, takes you into medieval courts, curtseying and slowly swinging gigantic skirts, until a guitar breaks the spell and the fiddles, flutes and a bodhran take it all back to its Celtic bossom. Caoineadh Na dTri Mhuire is a Sean-nos brought to us beautifully and lamenting in the voice of Roisin Chambers. To finish up The Bonny Men go to the 1960s for inspiration with their own version of The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, which by default brings them, and the strong guest vocalist Ide Nic Mathuna (an aspiring rapper), to the American Civil War in 1865. We told you there was plenty of time and genre travel encapsulated in this CD, so come let the Bonny Men light your head, heart and muscles. The mixtures are a joy and thoroughly highlight the beauty of each piece.
Styles: Acoustic, Folk, Score, Traditional Irish
Moods: Morning Light, Feel Good, Positive, Powerful, Glory, Rain, Journey, Together, Good bye, Lonely, 1916 Rising, Hardship, Travel, Freedom, Ireland, Autumn, Filmic, Celtic, Battle. Dramatic, Crescendo, Pub Session, Drinking, Political, Majestic, Wild, Changes, Sean-Nos, Magical