This week I got a notification that Mike McGoldrick would release another album for his long discography. Like many flute players around the world, I have been a fan of McGoldrick's music since I was a teenager and my sound carries a lot of influence inspired by his style, that's why I'm always checking on possible upcoming concerts and releases coming from his social media. When I found out about the new album, I was surprised to learn that the album is not part of his solo career, but his new band "The McGoldrick Family", which as the name says, consists of members of his family. The album was named "One for the Road", or as we would say in Brazil - "a saideira".
The band is led by Mike McGoldrick (flute and uillean pipes) and his nieces Catherine (flute), Ciara (concertina and vocals) and Mairead (tin whistle/bodhrán). The album also features guitarist Jimmy Patrick.
The McGoldrick family carries a strong musical influence passed down from generation. Mike's parents are from the west of Ireland (Galway and Mayo) and carried music in their lives. His mother Teresa is a great ballad singer and his father Brendan is a skilled whistler. Mike's nieces also continued to carry the family tradition ahead. Sisters Ciara and Catherine studied traditional music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Mairead won first place in tin whistle and third place in bodhrán at the famous All-Ireland championship.
The album presents a blend of traditional and contemporary sets, respecting the tradition without putting the "groove" and melodic arrangements aside, as Mike has always explored in his past albums, which in my opinion is what makes the family sound so brilliant and different from typical traditional sets. A few good examples are the tracks "Jimmy's Jig/The Nightingale" and "Fraher's/Patsy Geary's". Among the tracks full of jigs, hornpipes and reels, Ciara performs the song "Bridget O'Malley", also known in its Irish version "Bríd Og Ni Mhaille", with beautiful vocal and flute arrangements.
It's definitely a "must-listen" album.
The album is now available on Spotify and Bandcamp.