As the music world continues to grow smaller, we are beginning to see more and more world music enter the commercial marketplace. A genre of music that has successfully done so is Celtic music.
With such artists as Loreena McKennitt achieving commercial success, the doors appear to be opening for bands of the Celtic genre. One band that takes this brand of music to a new extreme is Off Kilter.
A staple at The Canadian Pavilion at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World, Off Kilter provides audiences with a blend of traditional Celtic music mixed with modern day rock.
From the opening guitar chords of “Brenda Stubbert’s Reel/Metro Boys,” any music aficionado will recognize that this is a combination that can’t fail. Indeed, it doesn’t. The debut, self-titled album from Off Kilter provides listeners with 40 minutes of solid music.
The highlight of the album comes on the album’s third track, a medley of 5 different songs, which enables the band to shine musically, especially bagpiper Jamie Holton.
The band strikes another high point with their arrangement of the traditional song “Fields of Athenry.”
Perhaps, the most intriguing song on an album the second track, “Dirty Old Town.” The band’s arrangement of the traditional song gives listeners the rare chance to hear bagpipes play the blues.
To counter the many fast songs of the album is the nicely arranged ballad “Sonny’s Mazurka/Troy’s Wedding.” This song gives the album a nice balance between fast paced and slow paced songs.
The album’s close “Smuggling Grapes Medley,” exhibits the band’s ability to play more than traditional Celtic music as they momentarily move into a more funk oriented beat then to a Caribbean based rhythm.
Overall, this band of seasoned music veterans proves that they are able sustain an album to rival any release from one of today’s hottest bands.
For more information on Off Kilter, connect to http://www.members.aol.com/offkltr. To purchase Off Kilter, connect to http://offkilter.iuma.com.
Grade: B+
-Todd DeFeo