CD review - Aidan O'Hara - Irish Music Magazine Gan Teorainn! - No Boundary
Traditional Irish and Australian songs by Muiris (Mossie) Ó Scanláin.
People often ask me, particularly in Australia, why I sing with my eyes shut," Mossie Scanlon writes in his CD notes. "I explain to them that I am totally relaxed when I am singing and that I am riding on the crest of the song, you could say, and that I follow it wherever it takes me." Now I ask you, are those not the words of a songsmith, a poet even? Beautifully put. Speaking of shut eyes, it reminds me of Liam Clancy's description of Delia Murphy's unique way of presenting a song which appealed to him very much: "I call it shut-eyed singing," he said. In other words he appreciated her style of singing because it was so relaxed and easy. Well, Mossie's the same.
Mossie Scanlon, now resident in Melbourne, Australia, is from the Dingle Peninsula in the Kerry Gaeltacht, and anybody familiar with the distinctive style of singing from that part of Munster will know what I'm talking about when I say he is the quintessential master of the technique. He is blessed with a most musical and pleasing voice, and his choice of songs in Gaelic and English suit him down to the ground; they will have wide appeal for the listener regardless of their own background and musical taste. He is also fortunate in his choice of accompanist, Jane Belfrage, harpist and piano player. She knows what is required, which is to make the accompaniment complement the singer's performance, not override it or lead it. With Jane's playing he is just as relaxed when he sings in sean nós unaccompanied.
Mossie's songs include Beir Beannacht ó Rí na hAoine, a beautiful Blasket Island song of emigration, the well-known The Rose of Allandale, Ar Éirinn ní neosfainn cé hí, Sliabh Geal gCua, Raglan Road, and Brídín Bhéasaí. I also enjoyed other numbers like the great Jacobite song, De Bharr na gCnoc, and Archie Fisher's Dark-eyed Molly. But I also loved his song-setting of Australian poet, Henry Lawson's poem, Andy's Gone with Cattle. Mossie's CD includes dance tunes from his friends: Roscommon man, Mossie Martin (fiddle), Pádraig Ó Sé 'ón gCeathrúin ' (accordion) and his wife Michelle (whistle and accordion), Jon Sanders (guitar), Colin MacLeod (fiddle) and Rory Sinclair (guitar).
I get a lot of CDs through the letter box, and my job is to listen - and enjoy - what people have worked hard to produce for their listeners, and then to pass on the word to you the reader. This CD of Mossie Ó Scanláin's is one of those rare enough productions that bring that little bit of extra pleasure in singing and song material. I recommend it highly.