Celtic Thunder Fans Get Twice the Music With Act Two

Over the past few months, I've gradually become acquainted with more and more of the songs of Celtic Thunder, the five-member singing group that is the male equivalent of Celtic Woman, now a PBS staple. While the first album has been in our house for upwards of two months now, we've only had Act Two, primarily drawn from the same concert event shown repeatedly on PBS, for a few weeks. Unlike the band's first album, simply titled Celtic Thunder, it includes several songs that are not found on that special, so if you're looking to cover all your bases with this group, this album is a must-have.

The stars of the show are (at the time it was recorded) 39-year-old George Donaldson; 28-year-old Paul Byrom and Ryan Kelly; 20-year-old Keith Harkin; and 14-year-old Damian McGinty. George is from Glasgow, Scotland; Paul is from Dublin, Ireland; Ryan from The Moy, Northern Ireland; and Keith and Damian from Derry, Northern Ireland. Each member adds a distinct vocal flavor to the group, from George's rumbling baritone to Damian's fluty tenor, as well as a unique personality, with poetic Paul, rebellious Ryan and sensitive Keith competing for the squealing affections of the female contingent of the audience.

Ride On - Ryan's accent is more pronounced in this angsty adrenaline rush of a song than on any other track, which is one reason I like it so much. He half-growls his vocals as the swirling instrumentals threaten to envelop him, giving the song a much more intense flavor than the reflective, acoustic-guitar-driven version by Christy Moore. I first heard this song when Dad discovered a YouTube video pairing it with clips of Aragorn and Eowyn from Lord of the Rings; the lyrics, with its undertones of respect, urgency and regret, seem to fit that relationship especially well, particularly given their mutual equine expertise. Though Ryan gets the designation of the slightly dangerous member of the group, this speaker foregoes desire for duty, reining in the impulses of his churning emotions. "Ride on. See you. / I could never go with you no matter how I wanted to..."

A Bird Without Wings - From that rather dark beginning, we proceed to Damian's soaring inspirational ballad, a Wind Beneath My Wings type of tune that, given enough airplay, could become just as classic. There's something especially touching about George's subtle "la da de da"s in the background; serving as the voice of the speaker's constant protector, his voice exudes paternal warmth. This is the sort of song that could apply to many relationships, but considering the fact that George is old enough to be Damian's father and given the familial bent of his Celtic Thunder repertoire, it's easy to see this as My Boy from the son's perspective. Open to a range of interpretations, the stirring, simile-laden song of gratitude seems likely to turn up at graduations and other landmark events before long. "Like a church with no steeple, / Where a bell never rings, / In a town without people, / Where no voice in the choir ever sings. / If a boat on the ocean / Would be lost with no sail, / Then without your devotion / Surely all that I dreamed of would fail."

My Boy - It's especially easy to make the connection between the songs when one directly follows the other. Elvis Presley sang this song, but George introduced me to it with his passionate rendering of a solemn soliloquy. There's darkness in the song's context of a failing marriage, but the speaker's determination to stick it out for the sake of the son he so ardently loves overrides the disillusionment that ripples through the verses. There's so much story and emotion wrapped up in this song, it feels like it should be a centerpiece of a Broadway musical. The fact that George chooses to start a couple of verses by speaking rather than singing amplifies that effect. I've yet to hear Elvis's version of this song, but I find it hard to imagine him getting to the heart of the lyrics any more intensely than George does. "Life is no fairytale / As one day you will know, / But now you're just a child. / I'll stay here and watch you grow / Because you're all I have, my boy. / You are my life, my pride, my joy..."

Raggle Taggle Gypsy - I find this fast-paced, traditional group number rather hard to follow. The lyrics almost seem in the way here; just about every line feels like it has more words than should logically fit, and while these guys have nothing on the Irish Rovers for nonsensical syllables, I find all those "-o"s tacked onto words a tad distracting here. This is really more of a showcase for the Celtic Thunder Orchestra, as the rollicking instrumentals are quite impressive, particularly the pounding percussion. "It was upstairs and downstairs the lady went, / Put on her suit of leather-o. / 'Twas a cry all around the door, / 'She’s away wi’ the raggle taggle gypsy-o.'"

Love Thee Dearest - Paul showing off his operatic self. The English part sounds archaic, pitted with "thee"s and "thou"s, while the bulk of the song is in Italian. Paul sings it gloriously, and those who appreciate this type of music should find it satisfying, but it's just not my style, and it seems a little out of place in a Celtic-themed concert. My least favorite of Paul's solo numbers. "Love thee dearest, love thee. / Yes, by yonder star I swear / Which through tears above thee / Shines so sadly fair."

I Wanna Know What Love Is - And it's followed up by my least favorite of Keith's songs. His delivery is fine, but I can't hear this song without seeing visions of late-night infomercials advertising collections of overwrought power ballads. It's one of those songs that has been ruined for me by the way it's sinisterly crept into my consciousness in the middle of the night over the years. Same complaint goes for Paul's rendition of Nights in White Satin three tracks down. Celtic Thunder and pop can mix astoundingly well, but Ryan reaps the most benefits from these pairings. Keith and Paul kinda get the short end of the stick.

Heartbreaker - Ryan sizzles his way through this saucy tango, the apex of his "bad boy" persona. There's a tinge of regret in his snarly vocals that makes it just a little easier to sympathize with this love-'em-and-leave-'em cad. This is Ryan at his most seductive, and it's easy to imagine woman after hapless woman succumbing to his charms. Deliciously devilish, this is another song that feels like it could go in a musical. As I listen to it, I visualize a whirlwind series of courtships and perhaps a few slaps in his face. This guy is sort of the opposite of the fellow in Ride On, a relentless pursuer who refuses to be tied down, though such is the extent of his protestation that I can't help but wonder if one particular girl has gotten under his skin more than he would like... "They say I’m the dark destroyer, / That I just can’t enough / Of girls hanging on a string, / That I’m only after one thing..."

Mull of Kintyre - This sounds like an old traditional folksong that could have been written a couple centuries ago, but in fact it was penned by Paul McCartney, which is rather nifty. It's an ensemble effort, though George's voice is most prominent, which feels natural since it strikes me as a reflection by a man who's seen his share of the world and is now coming to a much deeper appreciation of his hometown. While Mountains of Mourne, Keith's big solo on the first album, reminds me of Isle of Innisfree, my favorite of the Irish Rovers' traditional no-place-like-home odes, this one is more like Bonnie Kellswater. Both are pretty songs, but they don't quite resonate with me as strongly as the former two. Still, there are some nice harmonies in this one, and the drums, which appropriately are the instruments most dramatically highlighted throughout the two albums, are fantastic. "Mull of Kintyre / Oh mist rolling in from the sea, / My desire is always to be here, / Oh mull of Kintyre."

Young Love - This peppy Damian number is pretty much a repeat of Puppy Love from the first album, minus the excesses of anguish. Same fun 50s sensibilities, same opportunities for Damian to demonstrate just how adorable he is. On the DVD, this song is a humorous high point, but the goofy side antics of Keith, Paul and Ryan are lost without the visuals to support them, making the purely audio form fun but fairly forgettable. "Young love, first love / Filled with deep devotion. / Young love, our love / We share with deep emotion."

Yesterday's Men - This scathing song appears on the DVD as its sole bonus track. George rips into this bitter reflection, with the speaker's affection for his longtime workplace buddies who are in the same boat the only thing keeping rage against his dismissive employers in check. The speaker's feeling of helplessness as he suddenly faces uncertainty in his role as provider for his family resonates powerfully in this era of recession and rampant corporate layoffs. The song is a rallying cry that seems like it ought to be made into a full-blown PSA-style video. George speaks for a jilted generation here, and his righteous indignation couldn't be more timely. "Farewell my companions, my friends and my workmates , / Farewell to the paydays, the pints and the craic. / Oh, we gave them our best years, now they've paid us back / By making us yesterday's men ."

That's a Woman - One area in which Celtic Thunder is a tad lacking is the humor department, so I was delighted the first time I saw this performance and found myself laughing aloud. Some of the amusing elements are lost in the absence of the physical dynamics of Ryan derisively circling the hopelessly smitten Paul and his ladylove, but this theatrical face-off remains a lot of fun. Paul, for his part, rhapsodizes about the joys of a devoted woman, while Ryan tries to cut him down, spitting out misogynist slights in a rant that reminds me of Henry Higgins' A Hymn to Him in My Fair Lady. The contrast between the two men's approaches to women is played up to hilarious effect (and I'm always rather amused by the line "a delicate creature is something she ain't," because it sounds so much like he's saying "ate"). This is easily my favorite of Paul's songs, and the one that makes me feel a bit guilty that I'm not especially drawn to him, since the phrase "nice guys finish last" proves painfully accurate in this little power play - though without the visual cues, it's a more open-ended conclusion.  "How to say ‘no’ with a flick of her hair, / She’ll turn you and burn you and not even care, / That’s a woman, that’s a woman. // Faithful and true, that’s a woman. / Trusting in you, that’s a woman..."

Danny Boy - This is conspicuously absent from the concert; despite the fact that the lyrics were written by an Englishman, the impression persists that it is the quintessential Irish song, so I was glad to find it represented on the album. Naturally, it's a group effort; it wouldn't be fair to give something so iconic to just one singer. Some of the group's loveliest harmonizing occurs in this song, though at times I think they get a bit carried away, almost losing track of the melody in their efforts to flesh it out as fully as possible. As someone who generally much prefers male voices to female, I'm a bit surprised by the fact that I actually prefer the Celtic Woman version, but then their rendition is almost impossibly delicate, a quality that makes me on the verge of declaring my search for a definitive version of O Holy Night complete with the Celtic Woman Christmas album. My biggest issue with the Celtic Thunder version is that they skip the second verse entirely, which packs the biggest emotional whallop; instead, they expand musically upon the first verse. The results are pleasing to the ears, but in its shortened state, the song falls just shy of expectations. "But come ye back when summer's in the meadow / Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow. / 'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow. / Oh, Danny boy, oh, Danny boy I love you so."

Caledonia - Celtic Woman also covered this song, which is an ode to Scotland that's just about as rousing as Ireland's Call from the first album. Like Ireland's Call, Caledonia probably ought to close out the CD. At least in this case the album ends with a group number, though it feels slightly detached from the rest since it's a Christmas song. At any rate, this song makes great use of all the guys, and the Irish lads seem just as enthusiastic about honoring George's homeland as their own. Appropriately, he's the one to start things off, but everybody gets equal time here, and Ryan even gets in one more rakish jab with "I've kissed the girls and left them crying." "Let me tell you that I love you / And I think about you all the time. / Caledonia, you’re calling me, now I’m goin’ home."

Heartland - A repeat from the first album, except that this one includes a couple minutes of introductory material, including a menacing-sounding bit of voice-over narration from Phil Coulter, some truly thunderous percussion and other especially atmospheric instrumentals. This reverent supplication is one of my favorite Celtic Thunder songs, but this extended version clocks in at more than six minutes, so while it's neat to have this option available, I'm more inclined to listen to it without the intro. "When the storm is raging / And thunder rolls, / Deliver us from the ocean. / Save our souls!"

Castles in the Air - This one caught me by surprise, both because it's not part of the PBS concert and because it's the second time Keith has performed a Don McLean song. I thought it was interesting but not particularly significant that McLean had covered the same traditional song as Keith, but this is a McLean original, which makes it seem that Keith is purposely being paired up with the American Pie scribe. Keith plays this one light and airy, with rippling piano behind him and a faster tempo. I can hear certain similarities in their tonal qualities, though Keith's voice lacks McLean's melancholy edge. In a plea to a pal to break off an unfulfilling relationship for him, the speaker throws us right into the thick of things, starting off in the middle of a conversation and leaving us to guess at the circumstances leaving this friend caught in the middle. "And if she asks you why, you can tell her that I told you / That I'm tired of castles in the air. / I've got a dream I want the world to share / And castle walls just lead me to despair."

Christmas 1915 - One of the most beautiful, inspiring, despairing Christmas songs I've ever heard. The subject of the pitfalls of war comes up many times in the first Celtic Thunder album, but Act Two leaves the pacifist sentiments to the last track, for which a video exists, though it seems to have been done separately from the concert. A narrative drawing upon the experiences of soldiers at the front lines during the Christmas Truce of World War I, it contains the most pristine harmonies of any of the group songs. The men switch off often, with rarely more than small snippets of lines to themselves, which augments the impression that these are the recollections of many individual soldiers suddenly sharing in the humanity of the men they'd been trying to kill - and soon would again. Unlike Snoopy's Christmas, the novelty song alluding to the same historical event, this ballad drags the soldiers back into the trenches to resume the bitter battle, though the final chorus contains a note of hope amidst the carnage. "Silent night, no cannons roar. / A king is born of peace forevermore. / All's calm, all's bright, / All brothers hand in hand / In 19 and 15 in no man's land."

Perhaps ending with Christmas is a clue as to Celtic Thunder's next project. I've little doubt that unless they disband alarmingly quickly, we can count on a Celtic Thunder Christmas album before too long. I'm holding off on doling out that O Holy Night award until then...