Celtic Angels features female vocalists in a variety of Celtic-influenced performances.
Aoife Ní Fhearraigh's "Seacht Suáilcí na Maighdine Muire" and "Mo Bhrón ar an Bhfarraig" from
Melanie O'Reilly draw from the Celts' haunting vocal music history, but
D'Goya's "I Go to Bed" is a folk-oriented number closer to the
Indigo Girls, and fiddler
Sharon Shannon leads her band through a rousing instrumental rendition of "Bonnie Mulligan." A live recording of
Sinéad O'Connor performing "He Moved Through the Fair" is sufficiently haunting. For more adventurous listeners,
Celtic Angels' best moments might be its most challenging. Scotland-based
Mouth Music mixes Celtic and African languages and rhythmic patterns for "Bratach Bana,"
Whisky Trail offers a drifting contemporary instrumental piece, and Galician singing legend
Uxia turns in her own Celtic-tinged performance with "Verdes São Os Campos." Overall,
Celtic Angels has something for everyone, making it a good primer for female musicianship in the contemporary Celtic scene.