In 1996, the Afro-Celt Sound System formed a sound clash that mixed Irish music, dance floor grooves, West African percussion, and the kora. While there were highlights, often with help from high profile singing guests lik... more »e Sinead O'Connor and Peter Gabriel, the albums were fragmented. Now the members have shortened their name to the AfroCelts for their forth album, declaring that the Sound System isn't applicable because they've evolved into a more conventional and fully formed group. The change sounds radical, but it's really just a refinement in their working relationship and songwriting skill. Consequently, Seed holds together more strongly as an album. The songs are more consistently crafted and sonically rich here, with different voices and instruments coming to the fore, but never outshining the greater whole. Highlights include the blues slide guitar-driven title track, the wholly acoustic (which is a first!) and Irish jig-inspired "Ayob's Song/As You Were," and the Radiohead-influenced "All Remains." --Tad Hendrickson« less
In 1996, the Afro-Celt Sound System formed a sound clash that mixed Irish music, dance floor grooves, West African percussion, and the kora. While there were highlights, often with help from high profile singing guests like Sinead O'Connor and Peter Gabriel, the albums were fragmented. Now the members have shortened their name to the AfroCelts for their forth album, declaring that the Sound System isn't applicable because they've evolved into a more conventional and fully formed group. The change sounds radical, but it's really just a refinement in their working relationship and songwriting skill. Consequently, Seed holds together more strongly as an album. The songs are more consistently crafted and sonically rich here, with different voices and instruments coming to the fore, but never outshining the greater whole. Highlights include the blues slide guitar-driven title track, the wholly acoustic (which is a first!) and Irish jig-inspired "Ayob's Song/As You Were," and the Radiohead-influenced "All Remains." --Tad Hendrickson
"I maybe late in the game of knowing this group, but I am hooked now! My mother and I first saw them on tv, channel 35(wybe). We were just cruisin' thru the channels and heard this great music and just had to take a look! Glad we did! After I heard the song "Seed", that was all she wrote, LOL! I had to find out who this group was and I came down later that evening and looked them up on Amazon and orderd it! The blending of the different genres of music is pure genius!!! What a FANTASTIC find this CD is! Afro Celts' music will draw you in and keep you there! :0) All I have to say is ORDER IT!!!"
Absolutely wonderful
Ryan Sawhill | Charlotte, NC USA | 09/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just got this three days ago.
I have been listening to it at work non-stop, ever since I first put it in.
So far, that's about 25 hours. Seriously.
The guest artists (22 according to the liner notes) on this disc are awesome. The energy.. mmmm... Somehow it's able to keep me going with a buzz all day, without forcing a frenetic burn-out as most of my other fast electro-ish albums inevitably do. Absolutely grateful. I have other albums by the Afrocelts, but at the moment, this is definitely my favorite. It's a gem."
Music Should Rule the World
KG Goodwin | Baree Australia | 02/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If music ruled the world...there wouldn't be any wars. This album is a perfect blend of two very diverse cultures, & yet the music works in perfect unison & harmony. The mystical style of celtic music, combined with the rhythmic style of traditional african music is truly unique!
I first heard Afrocelts in the soundtrack from Riding Giants(in Laird Hamilton's story - when he discovers a new way to surf giant waves)and it blew me away!It's one of those 'Serendipitous' things...
'Lucky Me' to have found this little treasure!"
Brief flights of fancy
IRate | 08/19/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Volume 4 from the electronic, world fusion outfit walks a precarious line between it's amazingly fluid, fast-paced multi-instrumental joys from the past and a more regimented, standardized pulse consuming some of these growingly stereotypical, vocal-laden compositions. Their formula for success might have been a bit more exciting when it was fresh, but at this point the former Sound System still had at least a certain amount of integrity intact. As conceptual overkill begins to wear on producers, soloists still nail impressively diverse sequences in satisfying measures."