|
|
When it came to it, making the third album was every bit as exciting as the first two. This time
Fiona Joyce took over the role of executive producer herself, and put Gerry O'Beirne in the hot
seat as musical producer. Recorded in County Wicklow, with some of the finest musicians in the
country, such as Maire Breathnach on vio1in and viola and Gerry Hendrick on electric guitar,
"Lifting the Veil" is a sensuous and revelatory album, again featuring nine original songs, a
special edition of which has been released in Japan through Meldac Records.
true folk masterpiece! She puts most of her songs in a Celtic framework, but uses non-folk
instrumentation (fuzz guitar, funk rhythms, space keys) to bring contrast and variation into an
almost perfect album, centred around her angelic voice. She is now widely recognised as Ireland's
foremost female singer songwriter, no mean feat in a country that produces so much beautiful
music. 'Lifting The Veil' is a warmly recommended album, not for its heavy psychedelic freak-outs,
but just for its gentle musical beauty and emotional richness."
- - Crohinga Well (Belgium)
"With clear and warm songs, born of Life and Nature, its simplicity of sound, and Fiona's
pure-hearted yet warm voice, it is beautiful enough to make you sigh. Your heart will be cleansed."
- - TV Guide (Japan)
"Fiona Joyce is an Irish singer/songwriter whose name and music are often combined with artists
such as Maura O'Connell and Loreena McKennitt. Lifting The Veil, her third solo album, is an
impressive mix of folk rock with definite Celtic influences. As the album title suggests, Joyce
is intent on getting below the surface of things. 'I'm gonna say what I mean, mean what I say'
she sings in the title track, and on the remaining eight songs she does just that. Throughout the
album Joyce is ably assisted by a core four-piece band, the arrangements are sparse and effective,
and nothing gets in the way of her bushed vocal style. While the expressed emotions may reach a
boiling point, the music always stays at a slow, deliberate simmer. That's no small feat, but then
Joyce is no small talent."
- - Performing Songwriter (USA)
'This is the third album by the Irish singer, who is making waves in the alternative folk music
scene. This is her most powerful project to date, with all original songs and performances by a
superb line-up of musicians playing both modern and traditional instruments. The music is often
haunting with lyrics that are terrestrial and symbolic"
- - Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
"The new CD album 'Lifting The Veil'- heir to the velvety craftsmanship that fraimed 'Behind
Closed Doors' and 'The Eden' - explores a rainbow of folk/under ground images with a rare
modern charm. Fiona Joyce's voice, a focus for both emotion and introspection, glides above the
delicate display of nine original tracks in beautiful melodic rhymes, introducing progressive
sensual pulses iii an exhibition of musical pictures that recreate the balance of the minimalist
psydche-delicatessen a la Marianne Faithful, and the hippy style of a Fairports/Fotheringay Sandy
Denny. A stupendous collage of modern folk rock inventions among which, in particular, the vivid
dreamscapes of Angels, Lifting the Veil, Teenage Dream & Letting Go stand out."
- - Rockerilla (Italy)
"Oh God! She has such a beautiful voice, the sheer spirituality of it is breathtaking. I always
hesitate in describing Fiona Joyce as a folk artist, as her music contains so many diverse
elements: pop, poetry, traditional and rock. At the heart of it all there is always Fiona's
crystal-clear vocals, expert song writing and an uncanny knack for surrounding herself with
accomplished yet sympathetic musicians. The lyrical subject matter ranges from Tantric Sex through
youthful insecurities to the psychological damage of Catholicism...Deep stuff, and yet it's the
singing and the instrumentation which captivates you every time...all coining together to create
one very special and memorable album"
- - Ptolemaic Terrascope (UK)
|
|
|
