Emmet Cahill and Daniel Furlong Excel as They Embark on Their Celtic Thunder Voyage

This has been an interesting year for Celtic Thunder, the men’s folk-pop group formed by producer Sharon Browne and introduced to audiences mostly through PBS. Original members George Donaldson (the group’s only Scotsman) and Keith Harkin remain in place, as does Neil Byrne, who initially was on board as an instrumentalist and backup vocalist before stepping out as a leading man. Ryan Kelly excused himself from the group early last year only to return in the fall, but classically trained Paul Byrom and youngest member Damian McGinty have moved on to pursue individual careers, while Emmet Cahill and Daniel Furlong have stepped in to take their places. While I would consider Heritage a more deeply transitional album than this one, that sense still remains here and is reflected in the title, Voyage. Celtic Thunder is a journey; for some members it is just beginning, while for others, it has come to a natural conclusion. Despite the changes, this album is just as appealing as the last.

Dulaman - This opening song whose title means “seaweed” is the second-shortest on the album, but it’s a great one to start with since it’s an ensemble number that showcases all of the lads at once, and the fact that it’s in Gaelic nicely establishes a Celtic flavor. While I prefer songs with at least a little English to latch onto, it’s still very neat to hear their voices tackle those lyrical syllables in this fast-paced folk song.

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears - The album’s longest song goes to Emmet, who has quickly established himself as a worthy successor to Paul as the group’s most operatic member. Of all the songs on the album, this one best exemplifies the title, as it tells the tale of the first person to go through Ellis Island, a 15-year-old girl from Ireland named Annie Moore. In this song are wrapped up all the heartache, anxiety and excitement of a major journey, and Emmett’s poignant performance is complemented by the tinkling piano and haunting woodwinds. “Courage is your passport when your old world disappears, for there’s no future in the past when you’re fifteen years.”

Past the Point of Rescue - Neil takes on this angsty song with a Western feel to it. The sound, with the racing guitars and fiddle accents, reminds me of the arrangements for earlier Ryan songs such as Ride On and Black is the Colour, so I was a little surprised to hear Neil’s voice emerge on this one. In any case, though, it’s a great track that crackles with intensity as he declares his love for someone who appears to have moved on. “I wonder if I'm past the point of rescue. Is no word from you at all the best that you can do? I never meant to push or shove you; do you know how much I love you? No, you don't, but I do.”

Scorn Not His Simplicity - Composer Phil Coulter has parted ways with Celtic Thunder, but George still takes on one of his classics, a touching ode to his son, who has Down’s Syndrome. Fatherhood has always been a strong theme in George’s Celtic Thunder repertoire, and here, both of his solos embrace it. Gently, he caresses the lyrics to the accompaniment of trilling flutes, rippling piano and soft guitar, encouraging empathy for children society often disregards. “Only he knows how to face the future hopefully surrounded by despair. He won't ask for your pity or your sympathy, but surely you should care.”

Moondance - The second song on the album that threw me for a bit of a loop, since it sounds like a Rat Pack standard, and Damian is usually the one who tackles throwbacks like that. Of course, he’s no longer an official part of the group, and anyway, this is Van Morrison, not Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby. Still, it’s very jazzy with its prevalent piano and soft percussion, and Ryan’s smoky vocals are at once peppy and alluring as he thoroughly enjoys the company of his ladylove. Also, it’s a kick to hear him sing the word “fantabulous,” a word I frequently use but did not realize actually existed. “Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance with the stars up above in your eyes, a fantabulous night to make romance 'neath the cover of October skies.”

Song for the Mira - This gorgeous mandolin-tinged ensemble number is the one that best demonstrates the beauty of these six voices in harmony. The lovely melody reflects the deep affection in the lyrics for a place that has long ago been left behind. There are so many songs in the Irish tradition like this; this particular one celebrates a locale in Nova Scotia, the Canadian province that also inspired the heart-rending Farewell to Nova Scotia. While Isle of Hope is the tale of a new life just beginning, the words and tone indicate a journey long past as well as a hope for a return journey in the future. “Out on the Mira one warm afternoon, old men go fishing with black line and spoon, and if they catch nothing, they never complain. I wish I was with them again.”

She’s Always a Woman - I’m a big Billy Joel fan, so I was happy to hear Neil take on this piano-heavy classic. A celebration of a woman with all her complexities and foibles, it is well suited to Neil’s smooth voice, and the flutes give it a bit of a Celtic twist. One of the most purely pop songs on the album. “Oh, she takes care of herself. She can wait if she wants; she’s ahead of her time. Oh, and she never gives out, and she never gives in; she just changes her mind.”

Friends in Low Places - This second solo allows Ryan to return to both the Western style and his mischievous streak. Twanging electric guitar accompanies them as he sings exultantly of his love for low society. I love his laid-back take on this Garth Brooks classic and the little trill of a laugh that sneaks into half of his notes. He just sounds completely carefree and quite relieved to be rid of his ritzy girlfriend whose lofty ways were crimping his style. A fun track. “I’ve got friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I’ll be okay.”

Over the Rainbow - Daniel’s crystalline soprano enhances several ensemble numbers, but this is his true moment to shine, and he does a beautiful job with it. The first time my mom heard his rendition of this Wizard of Oz anthem, it made her cry. There’s just such a purity to his 13-year-old voice, and though this is the shortest track on the album, it’s probably also the sweetest. “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why oh why can’t I?”

All Day Long - This album has a stronger country flavor to it than most. This time it’s Keith flexing his vocal cords to the tune of wailing electric guitars and fiddles. He’s also got back-up singers, which makes this sound a bit less like a traditional solo; there’s a very full sound to it. It’s also a song that fits well with the title, as it’s about a man waiting for his love to return to him, and it shows off Keith’s upper register well as he lets out his hearty whoops on the chorus. “All day long I sit here thinkin’ ‘bout you.”

Cat’s in the Cradle - This is George’s second song about fatherhood, and once again it includes a note of advice, this time to spend time with your children when you have the chance. As Harry Chapin is George’s favorite singer-songwriter, it’s especially gratifying to hear him tear into this searing narrative expressing the regrets and sad consequences that come with not making one’s children a priority. The intricate guitar and shrieking violins complement his rumbling voice, initially warm but increasingly bitter as the rift between father and son grows. I’ve long considered this a particularly potent ballad, and George’s seasoned voice is a perfect vehicle to convey that haunting sense of loss. “As I hung up the phone, it occurred to me he’d grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.”

Maid of Culmore - The delicate strains of a harp and strings accompany this group song of grief and regret. Reminiscent of Noreen, my favorite of Neil’s solo numbers, it speaks of a love lost through emigration, though in this case, she was the one who left. This, too, is a song of a voyage as he bemoans her journey to America and contemplates taking his own. Daniel does not participate in this track, but the five others switch off lines and eventually come together for a harmonious last verse in which Keith tugs at the heartstrings with the final poignant line. “But if I don’t find her, I’ll return home no more. Like a pilgrim, I’ll wander for the maid of Culmore.”

All Out of Love - Keith takes on this Air Supply song that’s much in the same vein as It’s Entertainment’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry. His delivery is mostly very mellow, though he occasionally picks up the intensity as he pleads for reconciliation. I always prefer Keith’s renditions of more traditional tunes, but he does a solid job on the pop numbers as well, and this is no exception. “I’m all out of love. What am I without you? I can’t be too late to say I was so wrong.”

This is the Moment - Emmet knocks it out of the park again with this Jekyll and Hyde hit. He starts off hushed, gradually increasing in volume as the verses progress. The instrumentation builds along with him as the tone becomes more and more triumphant. This is a powerful inspirational anthem perfectly suited to his voice, and it’s one sure to bring down the house in concerts. “This is the moment, my final test. Destiny beckoned; I never reckoned second best…”

The Galway Girl - This lively fiddle, accordion and whistle-laden track is a bit of an oddity because Heritage included this song as well, but this version features Daniel instead of Damian, so while the instrumentation is basically the same, the vocal portion sounds significantly different. It’s a nice subtle way of acknowledging the way the group has changed in the last year. “See, I’ve traveled around, been all over the world, and I’ve never seen nothin’ like a Galway girl.”

Falling Slowly - Damian was the darling of audiences throughout America and beyond when joined the group as a charter member in 2007. Over the next four years, fans were able to feel as though they watched him grow up, and seeing him leave Celtic Thunder for GLEE is a bittersweet experience. This Academy Award-winning song comes from the charming Irish indie Once, which is about a magnificent but ultimately short-lived partnership rooted in harmonious music-making, and that seems an excellent metaphor for Damian’s time with the group. This guitar-backed gem is his farewell to the fans, and it’s perfectly lovely. “Take this sinking boat and point it home. We’ve still got time. Raise your hopeful voice. You have a choice. You’ll make it now.”

Seven Drunken Nights - This live track is pure mayhem as the lads – save Daniel – switch off describing arriving home to find things they’d never seen before. It reminds me of many a raucous Irish Rovers tune, particularly the casual feel and the participation of the audience through clapping and shouting. All of them sound like they’re having great fun with this back and forth as the drunken speaker questions his wife about the suspicious items that keep turning up in their house in his absence and the ensemble takes on the role of the wife offering her tart rejoinder. Even rowdier than A Place in the Choir - and much naughtier. An energetic way to end the album. “So I called my wife, and I says to her, would you kindly tell to me, who owns the horse outside the door where my old horse should be?”

I always had the sense that the quintet initially making up Celtic Thunder would only be together for a few years, and I wondered whether the group would disperse or continue to swap out singers as long-standing members moved on. I wasn’t sure the latter would fly, but it seems to have worked well so far. While I hope that George, Keith, Ryan and Neil will stick around for a while, I welcome the newcomers and am anxious to hear more from them individually and as part of the ensemble.

A Grieving Dad Finds Renewed Purpose in We Bought a Zoo

My aunt Barb and I share a love of zoos, so I wasn’t surprised that she decided to rent We Bought a Zoo when I visited her and my uncle recently. As soon as the titular zoo came into view, both of us started fantasizing about how cool it would be to live in such a place. The landscape and the ragtag collection of animals combine to make a very appealing playground for Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), the adorable little girl whose father is the film’s main character.

Matt Damon is the most likable I’ve ever seen him as Benjamin Mee, a plucky widower who wants to make a better life for Rosie and her surly pre-adolescent brother Dylan (Colin Ford). While sunny Rosie seems to be adjusting fairly well to her mother’s death, it’s transformed Dylan into a borderline delinquent. While Benjamin processes his own grief, he longs for a way to restore the lost connection between him and his son.

Buying the zoo seems like a crazy idea, but Benjamin and Rosie both fall head over heels in love with the place at first glance. Dylan objects to being uprooted, while Benjamin’s pragmatic brother Duncan (Thomas Haden Church), an accountant, foresees financial disaster if he goes through with it. But Benjamin has fixed on a dream, and even though the zoo is in shambles and will require thousands of dollars and hours of manpower to get it up to code for inspection and a summer opening, he is determined to make a go of it. Is it a sustainable goal, or is he about to fall flat on his face?

Cameron Crowe directed and co-wrote this earnest charmer of a family film, which was based on a true story, though the family was transplanted from England to Southern California and the wife’s death, which served as the impetus for all the events in the film, did not occur in real life until after the zoo had been purchased. Here, buying the zoo is very much about this dad and his children making a new beginning and slowly learning to let go, never forgetting the warm, loving wife and mother whose early death stuck such a painful blow but allowing themselves to move forward with optimism.

Rated PG, the movie contains little material that could be considered objectionable. Death is certainly a prominent theme, but it’s dealt with gently, and I imagine that children going through a grieving process might find a lot to relate to here. Damon anchors the film with a sense of determination and good humor, while Jones steals every scene with her sage and funny proclamations and Ford’s angst keeps the family’s recent tragedy fresh in viewers’ minds. Church is a consistent source of humor with his sad-sack demeanor and snarky remarks. The bond between these very different brothers is one of my favorite aspects of the movie.

Of course, romance comes into the storyline a bit, though it’s really not the focus. As the film begins, Benjamin is still seeing his wife (Stephanie Szostak) everywhere he goes, and the last thing on his mind is starting a new relationship. However, he is thrown into constant contact with Kelly (Scarlet Johansson), his property’s no-nonsense head zookeeper, and a mutual affection gradually forms. Meanwhile, Dylan, still disgusted by the family’s move, attempts to deal with the confusion of a first romance with Kelly’s tomboyish niece Lily (Elle Fanning). I think I actually enjoyed this pairing more, partly because of the opportunity it presented for Benjamin to offer some wise advice as the rift between father and son starts to heal.

We Bought a Zoo is a sunny, funny, touching movie about family, grief and impossible dreams. Beautiful animals, a quirky zoo staff and a dad deeply devoted to his children and his new venture make this a truly endearing film. I watched it with my aunt, uncle and grandparents, and we all gave it the thumbs up. At just over two hours, it might be a little on the long side for young children, but it truly is a film that the whole family can enjoy together.

Dennis Quaid Brings Complexity to the 2011 Remake of Footloose

I am a child of the 80s, and I like to think that I’m pretty up on the pop culture of that decade, particularly when it comes to movies. However, perhaps in part because of my two left feet, I never latched onto either Dirty Dancing or Footloose. I heard some of the music, of course, and I saw clips on television specials, but that’s always been one little chunk of quintessential 80s that I’ve been missing. While I still need to remedy that one of these days, I did see the remake of Footloose recently. Maybe my reaction to it would have been different if I’d grown up with the original, but I quite enjoyed it.

The movie revolves around Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald), a free-thinking Bostonian who has just moved to a tiny Southern town in the wake of his mother’s death. He finds welcome with his supportive uncle Wes (Ray McKinnon), warm-hearted aunt Lulu (Kim Dickens) and adoring little cousins Amy (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and Sarah (Mary-Charles Jones). The rest of the town is a bit slower to accept him, however. He’s the new kid on the block, so it’s easy to accuse him of stirring up trouble, though aside from a little fast driving and loud music, he’s a pretty upstanding young man.

Still, he feels stifled by all the rules in a community that has turned to legalism for comfort in the wake of a terrible tragedy. After the deaths of several teens, including the son of local pastor Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid), in a car accident on the way home from a dance, the town council enacted a ban on public dancing, and Ren becomes determined to overturn it. His attraction to the reverend’s daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough), who is the greater rabble-rouser by far, does nothing to endear him to this clergyman who still hasn’t fully processed the loss that his family suffered.

From the moment that Ren turns up in town and gets rushed by his exuberant cousins, he pretty much won me over. He’s got a bit of a rebellious streak, but he’s a really likable guy. Ariel takes a little longer to warm to, since she seems to have chosen a very self-destructive path and spends the early part of the movie pushing away everyone who really cares about her. Ultimately, however, she becomes easy to sympathize with as well.

On the other hand, while Rev. Moore is set up as the primary antagonist, this certainly is not a cookie-cutter situation in which the restrictive establishment is Evil. Indeed, he is a complex man whose deep faith and love for his family and parishioners informs everything he does, making his actions understandable even when they are frustrating. Quaid’s nuanced performance actually makes Shaw my favorite character in the movie save Willard (Miles Teller), the somewhat dopey local teen who quickly becomes Ren’s best friend. A regular source of comic relief throughout the movie, he particularly tickled my funny bone in the scene in which the two meet.

I’m sure that it was a bit superfluous to remake this movie less than three decades after it first hit theaters, but writer-director Craig Brewer brought a deep affection for the original to the project, and I would imagine that many contemporary teens who saw the remake might want to check out the 1983 version as well. Not having seen it, I can’t draw comparisons, but as a stand-alone movie, the new edition of Footloose entertains and invites thoughtful discussion about the balance between safety and freedom.