Ceili Rain

Based on press release quotes and pre-release reviews of this album it seems that several prominent music journalists in Music City are of the opinion that the "ground-breaking" pairing of traditional Celtic music with rock 'n' roll is a recent development unveiled by pop songwriter Bob Halligan and his band Ceili Rain. Mentioning groups like Wolfstone and Tempest to these experts would presumably elicit nothing more than blank stares. It's understandable that in the land of electric pianos and the Nashville String Machine, Celtic-rock is an anomaly but definitely not to the world outside. This is not to speak disparagingly of Ceili Rain; they are a fine band with excellent musicianship and original songwriting it's just that the concept isn't particularly unique anymore. The twin fiddles of Michael McCandless and Chris Carmichael along with Buddy Connoly's accordion and Hunter Lee's array of whistles and pipes are the strength of this band. Despite Halligan's intelligent lyrics his melodramatic and bombastic vocal tendencies appear better suited in a pop-metal setting. Very catchy stuff, though. ~ Dave Sleger, All Music Guide