A new DVD by Celtic woman and a compilation from Melissa Manchester
Mairead Nesbitt of Celtic Woman
Melissa Manchester, “The Very Best of Melissa Manchester” (Arista/Legacy). 2 1/2 stars.
Celtic Woman, “Believe Live” (EMI Music North America - DVD) 2 stars.
Re-issue Spotlight
Melissa Manchester, “The Very Best of Melissa Manchester” (Arista/Legacy). 2 1/2 stars.
From the 1970s through the mid-1980s, Melissa Manchester personified the middle-of-the-road (M.O.R) sound that dominated radio of the era: Decent voice, very slick production and hit-making writers including Burt Bacharach and Hal David and Carole Bayer Sager.
Of course Manchester wrote plenty of her own lackluster ballads, many of which are featured here.
Some of the hits were huge: “Midnight Blue,” “Through the Eyes of Love,” “Walk on By,” and “Talkin’ to Myself,” for starters.
But there was no staying power in either the writing or the production. Which is why this all sounds so dated today. No soul, no strength, no longevity.
Songs to download: “Midnight Blue.” “Walk on By.”
DVD Spotlight
Celtic Woman, “Believe Live” (EMI Music North America - DVD) 2 stars.
Ah, the St. Patrick’s season, a time when Irish and non-Irish across the land used to dust off their old vinyl collection of Clancy Brothers and Chieftains’ albums, rub the needle with their fingers, hear those opening scratches and in moments the sounds of the Emerald Isle was never more alive.
Now the second, third and fourth generation of those fans finds it much easier to flick on PBS and watch yet another pledge drive featuring the orchestral, syrupy and yes, camera-friendly Celtic Woman. It’s the manufactured group’s sixth project and the greatest thing that ever happened to PBS.
Singers Lisa Kelly, Lisa Lambe, Chloe Agnew, and the admittedly brilliant violinist Mairead Nesbitt, performing live at the Fox Theatre over two nights in Atlanta late last year.
The material is exactly what one would expect. Syrupy, weepy, huge ballads with strings or without, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “The Water is Wide, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Ave Maria,” etc. etc.
It’s lovely to watch. It’s a labor to which to listen.
Rating Scale: One Star (poor) to Five Stars (a classic).