Review Summary: "Celtic Revival!" celebrates The Sky Family’s limitless talent.
When I was growing up my father always told me that if I do nothing else in life then I should do one thing and then do it well. Dear old dad was right about a lot of things, but then again, he never had the chance to listen to The Sky Family. This Canadian sextet that hails from Prince Edward Island not only manages to juggle a lot of balls all at once but to magically keep them all in the air at the same time. Not an easy feat, to say the least.
They’re a family of multi-instrumentalist who seem to be able to play every single instrument within an orchestra and beyond. Each member appears to have the talent to swap about on the keyboards, guitars, fiddles, percussion, various reed and brass instruments. This ability also includes singing both lead and back-up vocals. The cherry that tops the sundae is when they appear live they even manage to offer well choreographed dance routines. “Wow”, is all I can say.
Now if that were not enough this gifted group is fond of mashing up multiple types of musical genres. This they do, at times, from song to song and at other times all within one number. On their "Celtic Revival!" collection (soundcloud.com/celtic_revival/sets/celtic-revival/) I heard the ethic roots of not only their obvious Irish heritage but also influences of Eurasian, North and South American, and even a hint of African styles. Be it folk, rock, pop, jazz, or electronically experimental they find a home in whatever they’re playing. I even hear a bit of the klezmer tradition coming through in one of the tracks I listened to.
The Sky Family is also a master of balancing tunes with a non-religious message with tunes that offer religious praise. It’s a line they succeed at walking with grace. I wish my dad was still around to hear this well crafted compilation, because I know it would have left a smile on his face. Even if he wasn’t always right the old man did love good music.
