Songs from the Heart - Celtic Woman CD

Back in college I dated a boy with Celtic roots. He introduced me to Celtic music, and, being that I was in love with him at the time, I did what any lovesick girl would do, I immersed myself in the music he loved.

Celtic music back then was not cool. (He wasn't all that cool himself. M would tell you he wasn't cool at all. But eh.) It was haunting and lyrical, but not cool. I pretended it was hip, but, if we're being fair, I had to hunt pretty hard for the CDs that I bought. Then we broke up, I moved to the US, and the CDs were lost somewhere along the way.

I didn't think of them again until I popped in the Celtic Woman, Songs from the Heart CD. Familiar haunting strains poured out of my CD playing, instantly transporting me back. It's not the same music, not by any stretch of the imagination. This CD mixes music you already know and love - Fields of Gold, Amazing Grace - with classic Celtic strains and harmonies. Just beautiful.

This CD has been a hit with everyone at home, something that is definitely rare considering our very different tastes in music. But tonight even my extremely musically picky husband admitted that it was a very pleasant and soothing CD to listen to. The girls were much more easily won over - they're convinced that this is the music to Belle or another Disney Princess movie. I'm just glad that we get to listen to something other than Elmo or Kermit the Frog for once!

There are definite times this CD sounds like it could be a film score, but that doesn't take away from its aesthetically pleasing music. It's not something you're going to get up and dance to, but if you're looking for something soothing and relaxing to listen to, then this CD is definitely for you!

The Celtic Woman group is on tour right now. Visit http://www.celticwoman.com to find show dates and locations.
You can find the album for purchase at Amazon and other music retailers.

Please note: This CD was sent to me by EMI Music to review because I am a member of Music Moms, a group of bloggers who review music. Nevertheless, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone.

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Corneille - The Birth of Cornelius CD Winner

The winner of The Birth of CorneliusCD is...

... which translates to "Janet and Maya" of Maya's Heartsong.

Congratulations Janet! I hope you enjoy the new music in your life!

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Corneille - The Birth of Cornelius CD review & Giveaway

As a busy working mom I don't really have a ton of time to go browse around in a record store or in iTunes for new and exciting music. I mean, I'm all for the latest Sesame Street CD, but Elmo's duos with Ernie do get a little old some days. So our usual non-kid centric CDs tend to get played over and over again until one of us flips out and turns on the radio or TV just to get a change of pace.

Every so often I do get my hands on a new CD, and you should see the excitement around here when I pop it into the machine. There's usually much dancing and rejoicing, some of it is even the kids!

This latest CD wasn't so much the kind you dance to, but it's definitely staying in the rotation anyway. As soon as the new Corneille CD, The Birth of Cornelius arrived I ripped into the packaging and popped it into the player before even reading about his back story. Then I sat down, started the CD again and really listened.

You don't need to know Corneille's back story to enjoy his Motown vibe or amazing lyrics, but it does bring your appreciation to a whole other level when you know that when he sings

Oh... father, father I wish you were here
I wish you were here so you could see the man I've grown up to be
Mother, I wish you were here so you can see the girl I married
Brothers I wish you were here so I can have somebody I can call "my brother"
Sister, I wish you were here so I can see the girl you'd grow up to be
Yes, I remember your love
See, if I'm here crying, if I'm here loving, if I'm here caring
It's for one reason only
It's 'cos I remember your love

he's speaking to his entire family, massacred in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Once you understand the hardships that this singer has overcome it's impossible not to be moved by the beauty of his lyrics and songs. There's not an ounce of bitterness, it's all poetry and love.

Corneille - The Birth of Cornelius - Autographed CD giveaway

I have one autographed CD to give away to one lucky winner!
To enter:
1) Visit the Amazon page for The Birth of Cornelius (click on the link to get to it) and scroll down to the "Listen to Samples" section. Listen to the samples and let us know which is your favorite track.
2) Leave a comment letting me know about your latest favorite album.
2) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
3) Subscribe to my other blog's feed. Leave a comment telling me you subscribed.
4) Tweet, email, blog about this giveaway.

Please remember to leave me a way to contact you. And please, please, please, leave a separate comment for each of your entries. I can't credit you for each of them if you don't.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, April 8 at 10pm PST. This giveaway is officially closed! Thank you for stopping by. Make sure to check out all my other great giveaways!

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