Search - Chieftains :: Celebration

A bag of (mixed) tricks

P. Lozar | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/29/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When the Chieftains do their traditional thing, they're matchless. Even some of their more experimental tracks are riveting, such as Matt Molloy's spooky arrangement of "The Strayaway Child" and Van Morrison's lively "Boffyflow and Spike." The Nanci Griffith solo is less effective, mainly because the recording accentuates the piercing quality of her voice (on the average boom box, this track is downright painful to listen to!). The "Millennium Celtic Suite" leaves me cold because it doesn't show off any of the participants well; I guess you had to have been there. In general, this is an interesting album, but the overall quality isn't as high as on many of their others."