The Hour Before Dawn

Product Description "The best Irish traditional band in the world," according to the Boston Herald. Featured is their version of Sarah McLachlan's hit "I Will Remember You," which was co-written by Solas' Seamus Egan. Amazon.com Solas have become one of the world's most exciting Celtic bands by combining a respect for tradition with an adventurous musical spirit. On their fourth CD, The Hour Before Dawn, they gently stretch the boundaries of Irish music by adding new instrumental textures and more sophisticated harmonies. Led by 's flute and banjo, the band whips through the sets of dance tunes with authority and style. John Doyle continues to expand the vocabulary of Irish rhythm guitar while laying down a solid beat that lets the melodies of fiddler Winifred Horan and accordionist Mick McAuley soar. But as good as the instrumentals are, the songs with vocals are where Solas truly shine. The band's new lead singer, Dierdre Scanlan, has replaced Karan Casey, who left to pursue a solo career. Scanlan is equally adept on ancient ballads like "When My Love and I Parted," where she is accompanied only by Horan's violin, and contemporary songs like "I Will Remember You," which Egan cowrote with . She has an earthy voice that reminds us that despite the band's instrumental prowess, the roots of Irish music are in song. --Michael Simmons Review The Hour Before Dawn has nearly everything-wonderful vocals, high-powered tunes, and incredible musicians. What's missing is Karan Casey, but the Irish-American supergroup's new singer Deirdre Scanlan manages to hold her own quite well. The album as a whole has something else added to it-more of a pop sound interwoven with the traditional. Most obvious is the group's rendition of "I Will Remember You," a song Solas member Seamus Egan co-wrote with Sarah McLachlan, who made it a hit in 1995. Almost every track exudes more pop or folk--and less Irish--but this is not always a bad thing. It's mostly due to the instruments used (heavy on lots of guitars and drums), and the way they're arranged. The songs are enjoyable, especially "Bheadh buachaillin deas ag Sile," particularly catchy because of accordionist Mick McAuley's opening jazzy riff. Winnie Horan on fiddle peels into "Granny Quinn's," a high-powered reel. "Boy/Girl Tune," composed by McAuley, is full of flavor reflective of distant lands. The melody sounds East