Jiggery Pokery, Listener Album Review

[Jermy]

(comment by band member Jeremy-just so you know I might be a wee bit biased) This album was put together by the band to show off what we've been doing over the last 10 years or so. It's a collection of songs, jigs and reels from our back catalogue of CDs which are now mostly unavailable. Jiggery Pokery takes the listener on a magical journey from the raw energy of a highly spirited Irish session to the contemplative and haunting mood of a moonlit night by a nameless shore. It is an appreciation of the music of Poitín, a band which has been distilling and maturing since the mid-nineties til now; not only a journey through different Celtic genres, but a journey reflecting the development of the band over the years-discovery, experimentation, exuberance. The album takes us from the raw, unfiltered energy of the Congress Reel to the shores of Brittany via the literally haunting Lover's Ghost and the scintillating Saxet and the boldly experimental remixes by DSPI. Here is a chronological documentation of a band which over the years has captivated and exhilarated audiences from Bordeaux to Warsaw and from Prague to Turin. Here is just a taste of what Poitín have achieved over the last decade, and we're sure you will enjoy it. Slainte! (source:CDBaby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/poitinmusic)

[Jermy]

(Review first published in Celtic MP3s Music Magazine 18 November 2010 http://celticmp3s.com/2010/11/review-jigge...ery-by-poitin/)
Artist: Poitin
Album: Jiggery Pokery

Unexpected. That’s probably the best way to describe this CD in one word. The first track leads you to believe it may be a bunch of great Irish dance music played expertly…but this is not the case. This CD goes on to do many different things throughout–and it is full of surprises. Thankfully the arrangement is done quite well so instead of being disjointed, there is a flow to it all.

Most of the songs here in the middle of the CD give a full folk feel which is well-honed. Tracks such as “A Bucket Full of Mountain Dew” and “Springtime Frolics” are delightful, and tracks like “Lover’s Ghost” and “Carolan’s Ramble to Cashell” give the listener more of the typical fare one might expect from a band with this type of style. But then… once again… things shift a bit.

As you get to the last of this, there’s a wild remix of “Step it Out” on track 14, and it isn’t the only one on the album. The nice part is that these remixes are all grouped at the end, so they don’t confuse the listener part of the way through. Instead they save this unique take on these tunes for later. It was actually kind of a neat way to end the CD, and, as I said before–unexpected.

Catherine L. Tully specializes in writing about the arts, lifestyle and travel. She is the Owner of 4dancers, a blog for those who love dance, and Editor for Freelance-Zone, an award-winning site for freelance writers. Catherine also reviews music for Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.

[Rindy]

Very nice Jermy thanks for posting this. Good luck with your wonderful cd. I am glad it's here on Celtic Radio.

Slainte