A new Clancy generation -
Aoife Clancy's "Silvery Moon"

from the Emigrant Online

There's a unique challenge faced by musicians who come from well-known musical families. It takes a certain courage and determination to find one's own voice - and more importantly, dare to express it. In "Silvery Moon", her third solo CD, Aoife Clancy, daughter of Bobby Clancy of The Clancy Brothers, has come around full circle to develop her own style while honoring the folk roots of her father and his brothers proving that this second generation of the Clancy family is as rich in talent as its predecessors.

The album is a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary song. There's lovely sentiment in her choice of material... old fashioned songs like the title track, "Silvery Moon", are juxtaposed with some of Mark Simos's compositions, "Giving" and "When the Nightbird Sings". An Australian poem set to music, "The Sliprails and the Spurs", is a near neighbour to a jazzy version of "Banks of Sweet Primroses".

Where her father's generation concerned itself with the old rebel songs, Aoife has chosen songs of peace and healing like Ron Kavana's "Reconciliation" and "There Is Hope", written by another of the 2nd generation, her cousin, Robbie O'Connell.

This is a singer's album. The arrangements display a rich range of interpretation - one of the hallmarks of an accomplished singer. While she is quite credible in the straight folk genre, Aoife is clearly a contemporary folk singer, skilled at bringing a touch of the chanteuse to this material. And the list of back up musicians features several vocalists. Aoife is joined by Julee Glaub (whose own CD was reviewed here last month) and Aoife O'Donovan in a haunting unaccompanied version of "Across the Blue Mountains" a traditional Appalachian song.

On the closing track, "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", an old Weavers song, she is joined by her father, Bobby. It is a sparse arrangement, just Aoife and her father singing, with Aoife herself playing guitar. But it is a sweet simplicity that makes this old '60s folk song personal and timeless. Bobby recently passed away and it is fortunate and particularly poignant that they had the opportunity to record this piece together.

Appleseed

Produced by Aoife Clancy and Eric Kilburn
Aoife Clancy - vocals, guitar
James Blennerhassett - upright bass, vocals
Liam Bradley - percussion, vocals
Myron Bretholz - percussion
Bobby Clancy - vocals
Dónal Clancy - guitar
Seth Connelly - bass, guitar, piano, dobro,mandolin
Rushad Eggleston - cello
Julee Glaub - vocals
Al Gould - fiddle
Eddie Lynch - piano
Larry Nugent - flute
Aoife O'Donovan - harmony vocals
Ted Ponsonby - guitar, vocals, dobro
Lissa Schneckenburger - fiddle, violin
Jacquelin Schwab - piano
Mark Simos - guitar

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