From Amazon.com
Music to Skate to
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I played Natalie's live CD at the ice rink during a general skating session as an experiment in music choices. The kids and adults loved it!! I now get 4 or 5 requests every Sunday to put the CD on. A couple of the figure skaters even are going to use parts of her music in their skating programs.
It is definitely music to skate to!!
A Great Intro to Natalie's world of Fiddle
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: My first exposure to Natalie was on Accuradio's RadioCelt three months ago. Her live CD was my first Macmaster music purchase. It is now one the best music CD I currently own of any musical artist. Natalie has won me over with this wonderful collection of her music. I could go on with praise of individual tracks but just read the reviews below--everything they say is true. I cannot say it better!
Three months later I can still put this CD in my truck on my commute home (1.5 to 2 hours) and toe tap the heck out of my truck's floor board til I pull into my driveway. I plan on seeing her this February in concert because I have to see this performers stage music for myself. Like they say here, the next best thing is this CD.
This is a great, great CD to get introduced to Natalie's music. HIGHLY recommended!!
Impressive
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I first got introduced to Natalie while watching a live Christian television show. I was so impressed that I had to go buy her album. Since I didn't know which album of hers to get, I figured a live album was a safe bet. I sure wasn't disappointed. She is an absolutely marvelous fiddle player. Her style does differ from that of the Irish, but I like it better. You could say her style is more American, but since she's Canadian, I'll say her style is more North American. If you listen closely to Disc 2 you can almost picture a banjo in the background with Natalie fiddling up a storm at a good ol hoe down. Disc 1 is more artistic in nature and really displays the depth of her talent. You'll her everything from slow meoldic tunes that seem to put you in a trance to more upbeat tunes that make you want to get up and dance. Disc 2 is a flat out riot. The entire disc was recorded live at a dance hall so the music is very upbeat. Both discs are very different in nature, but each is a great joy to listen to.
Now to figure out which Natalie Macmaster CD to get next.... (and oh by the way, I hear her husband - Donnell Leahy - isn't half bad either)
Fiddle lover's dream come true
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: There are a lot of reasons why Natalie MacMaster ranks among the very best of the world's fiddlers. A lot of those reasons can be heard on "Live," her long-awaited concert CD.
Make that CDs. As if the concert recording from 2001 at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga, Ontario, wasn't enough, there's a second disc featuring Natalie going back to her roots for a dance at the Glencoe Mills dance hall in her native Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1997. Combined, the package is a potent one-two punch of some of the best fiddling you're going to hear -- anywhere -- and it's a fair snapshot of the diverse work she's done over two decades of performing.
Disc one is Natalie at her most dazzling -- fiery stuff with her current touring band. Anyone who's seen Natalie in concert knows the kind of energy that boils from the stage. With Natalie's band kicking it up behind her and the crowd's appreciation roaring through the music, it's a concert CD to enjoy over and over again.
Then it's time to switch to disc two for a hearty taste of Cape Breton traditions. The arrangements on this CD are more basic and the tempo is rock steady, providing the impetus for a hall full of dancers to keep their heels moving. It's pure Natalie all the way, reminding me strongly of the first few times I saw her perform.
"Live" is the best of both worlds, giving Natalie MacMaster devotees and Cape Breton purists exactly what they want to hear. This is a fiddle lover's dream come true.
By Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor
First CD is 5+ STARS!
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: The first CD is one my all-time favorites. It is also my favorite Natalie CD out of the 5 that I own. You can just feel the energy pouring out of her stage performance in this one. Mixing it up with the electric guitar and rock beat adds to the performance in all but one or two spots. I can listen to this one again and again and not get tired of it. The second CD is nice, too, but the noise from the dance hall detracts a bit from the otherwise lively, traditional Cape Breton dance music.
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