"Van Morrison is obviously still the man when it comes to the question of fusing jazz influences with Irish rock-pop and roots music. However, it is a
field one would love to see further developed, and that's exactly what Melanie O' Reilly does on her latest album, 'Tír Na Mara'. And, yes, the mix is
deliciously idiosyncratic.
But then, what else would you expect when you set traditional musicians such as Eileen Ivers and Tommy Hayes against the kind of soundscapes
created by jazz guitarist Larry Coryell and the Edinburgh String Quartet? Although probably best known for her appearances at the Cork jazz
festival, Melanie O' Reilly is intent on exploring the rhythmic, melodic and psychological links between Irish music and jazz. And maybe even more
importantly, the spiritual links that form a core connection and carry the coded joys and longings of different races of people, many of whom were
uprooted from their homeland as a result of either slavery or emigration.
In this context, 'Tír Na Mara' opens with O' Reilly's sorrowful and sensitive setting of 'My Grief On The Ocean', a poem from 'An Dunaire - Poems
Of The Dispossessed'. A later song, 'Annie Moore', focuses on the plight of the first immigrant to arrive at the immigration centre on Ellis Island, from
Cobh, County Cork. Visiting there recently, Melanie "was struck by the powerful atmosphere of silent voices", she says in her sleeve notes for this
album. Those long silenced voices sing again in 'Annie Moore'.
The title track, 'The Sea Kingdom', on the other hand, captures that sense of exhilaration that follows when a sense of longing for the old land is
superseded by the thrill that comes with the thought of exploring a brave new world. Likewise, 'Buille' starts off with the 'wild stallion' narrator
dancing a "dance/with power in my veins/delirious in my expression/of just being me' until she is ravaged by a single blow from 'two men with
sticks/(who) have come to tame me/to control me/to violate my dignity".
Melanie's father, Seán, died while she was recording 'Tír Na Mara'. The album is dedicated to his memory. Who could ask for a more fitting epitaph
than music such as this? Particularly in that it is music that asserts the power of the spirit to transcend even experiences as dark as death..."
Joe Jackson, Hot Press, 9th March 1995
"Undoubtedly one of the major talents to emerge in recent times, Melanie O'Reilly possesses a voice which is rich and resonant, and a song-writing talent which is going to ensure that we hear a lot more of her in the future."
In Dublin
"...the essence of O'Reilly's music is its feel, which derives solely from her own breathy, airy perambulations around the melodies and an obvious chemistry with pianist/co-writer David Milligan"
Q Magazine
"A work of special importance in the development of the sung Irish language...an uplifting celebration of Irish culture that is finding new feeet upon which to confidently stride into the future."
Dublin Event Guide
"...more than just a promise of future greatness...[Tir na Mara] represents one of the year's most mature and moving releases."
In Dublin
"A spiritual journey and a musical joy."
The Big Issue
[of her live performances]
"...her pitch was impeccable, her timing totally secure, her phrasing ineffably right. More than this, however, was perhaps the most essential gift of all - her ability to read a lyric with an innate sense of its dramatic demands and to serve these accordingly."
The Irish Times
"O'Reilly's sensuous voice is the perfect vehicle for entwining jazz styles with Irish Celtic influences..."
The Scotsman
Reviews of House of the Dolphins
"House of the Dolphins" is a mighty fine leap into the big blue......Melanie O'Reilly deserves
a Grammy"
Siobhan Long, Hot Press
"....On exposed ballads, O'Reilly's voice is exquisitely controlled and pure.....an outstanding
collection of songs"
Alex Moffat, Irish Music Magazine
"...A wondrous mix of what this fine singer is all about - a deep passion for Irish Traditional
music and Jazz .....with O'Reilly's voice weaving a spell..."
Matt Nugent, Evening Herald
"....An fresh innovative album with soulful singing and beautiful arrangements..."
Sean O Heanai, Radio na Gaeltachta
"Melanie O'Reilly has studiously carved herself a considerable reputation as a jazz singer with a keen ear for the cross-currents that link jazz's lateral thinking with Irish folk and traditional music" - Irish Times, September 2002
Official Melanie O'Reilly Website
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