ALBUM REVIEW: AFRO CELTS "SEED"

WARNING!! LONG post ahead!!

I am now the proud owner of Afro Celts "Seed", their brand new album, just released. I am very happy with it, with some minor complaints. But overall, this is another great stone in the grand path of Afro Celt music. So here is my track-by-track review of it, followed by some general comments. And please don't let my criticisms keep you from buying the album. It's a great album, really, and as one of their BIGGEST fans, I do tend to nitpick. So, I present to you . . . Afro Celts, "Seed" :
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1)Cyberia
A very ambient track, thrusting the Afro Celts into the 21st century as well as the new part of their journey as a band. Yet at the same time, keeping things grounded by the addition of Jesse Cook's flamenco guitar. Could this be the start of another part of the Afro Celt mix? Afro LATIN Celts? Very intriguing ideas indeed. I have to admit i was skeptical as to how flamenco guitar would fit in an Afro Celts track, but it does fit very well. Overall, this track keeps within the theme of its name "Cyberia."

2)Seed
The addition of Simon Emmerson's playing of Slide Guitar, as well as other guitars, gives this track a very rock 'n roll feel. It's somewhat darker than the other songs on the album, and I like that. I love the whole rock vibe this track gives. N'Faly does a great job as usual on vocals. Just a very strong track that would not seem out of place on Volume 3.

3)Nevermore
A very upbeat track, danceable, light. Great singing by Brazilian singer Nina Miranda and Iarla. The Brazilian singing is an addition to the early version of this track that I heard on the Afro Celts site a few months ago. I do think this track needs maybe a bit more whistle or kora. I really need a plethora of Afro-Celtic elements in these songs, but that's just nitpicking. After this track, everything gets very "happy" right up until the end.

4)The Other Side
For anyone who's ever wanted a showcase tune for the Afro Celts rhythm section - this is your song!!! The percussion is out in FULL FORCE here. This is a very fast paced song featuring our old friends from Volume 3 - The Screaming Orphans!! They do some really AFRICAN sounding stuff here, and I love that. I think the Orphans should have been used more on this album, and I hope they will be used more on each coming AC album. This track is a favorite of mine, and I really think it will be a favorite in their live show.

5)Ayub's song/As You Were
WOW!! Such beauty in this track!! This one starts out as a very AFRICAN sounding track, with (surprisingly) Iarla singing in Gaelic but yet it sounds very African too!! The stringed instruments rock in this part, and the double bass adds a very interesting aspect to the music. It SOUNDS like percussion, but it's really a deep bass sound. The second part, which morphs really gently from the previous tune, is an Irish jig, a duet between fiddle and whistle. Beautiful!!! This is a KEY song for the Afro Celts, in my view. It's the most "afro-celtic" of any of their songs. The first part sounds African, and the second part is Celtic!! Simple, elegant, wonderful!! And possibly one of the most beautiful and peaceful of ANY Afro Celts song I've heard.

6)Rise
Not much to say about this track. It's mostly Kora, harp, and Iarla's vocals over an ambient setting, right before a BIG long blockbuster track. In other words, it's another "Urban Aire" only without pipes!! I kind of wish they had made this into something more substantial, but it's their album and they can do what they wish. Standing alone, it's not much; coupled with "Rise Above It," I have to say it is an OK intro. I just don't see why they have to make one song into two. Oh well.

7)Rise Above It
Really the highlight of the whole album. It's ten minutes long!!! It builds and builds, the first lyrics come two and a half minutes in the song!! The singer is Irish musician Mundy, whose voice is a mix of Peter Gabriel and Bono. He does a very good job with the material. My main beef with this song is that sometimes a lot of the acoustic energy built in the first part of the song is lost among the programmed beats and what not. The Afro Celts should bring those big drums out!! But overall, this is a very catchy, energetic, bouncy song. GREAT fiddle playing by Eileen Ivers too!!

8)Deep Channel
It might just be my ears, but it sounds like the Afro Celts used an actual drum set in this track!! It sounds awesome, a real change of pace. This is sort of an ambient track, but with great instrument playing and drums. The song starts out lazy, and then builds speed with the fast paced piping of Emer Mayock. Easily the most Celtic of the songs on the album, not counting the jig in track five.

9)All Remains
Probably my least favorite track on the CD. I don't know why, I guess there's just not enough afro-celticness for me. It's a decent enough song, Iarla does his usual spectacular job. And I like the strings on the chorus. Otherwise, it's just a typical song, nothing too special in my opinion. Sort of a companion to "Persistence of Memory," only with too much reliance on programmed sounds and not enough strong percussion, and not enough Celtic elements. But, all said, a decent Afro Celts track is a HELL of a lot better than many other things!

10)Green (Nevermore instrumental)
Well, this is the same thing as track 3 only minus the vocals. Lucky for us, the song is unique enough without the vocals that it sounds enough like its own track. Otherwise, I think it's a bit of a rip off. I think if they want to give us an instrumental (which I don't really see as necessary), they should at least add another, different, track to the CD. That's just my opinion though. Or, instead of an instrumental, they should remix one of the songs. As a CD buyer, I just think that we should get a BIT more variety from a ten track CD that we pay 15-20 dollars for. On Volume 2, I nearly always skip over "Release It," and I hope I don't end up doing the same for "Green" too.

Overall thoughts about "Seed":
- It does build on what they did in Volume 3, but in a direction I was not expecting. The overall energy is there, but it's a different kind of energy than the last album. It's more joyous, vibrant. I can't really explain it, but Volume 3 was like a bomb about to burst. "Seed" is the aftermath of that burst.
- It's their most African album yet. That's not to say the Celtic parts are left out, but there are MANY moments on this album that fit the Afro side of the equation.
- They've made an effort at toning down the programmed beats. They are still there, but they fit in more, I think. They're like a canvas that the acoustic instruments build on. I kind of miss the REALLY heavy beats from Volume 3, but I still think this low-key approach is good for where the Afro Celts are headed.
- The Afro Celts are adding more bass to their songs. I like this idea!!
- This is their most "mainstream" sounding album yet. I think they could use a bit more "afro celt" in their more pop-sounding songs. Make us KNOW and FEEL that it's an Afro Celt song, ya know!! I'd advocate more use of the celtic instruments, and stronger drums in some tracks.
- As of right now, this is probably my second favorite Afro Celts album, behind Volume 3.
- My favorite songs on this album: Seed, The Other Side, Ayub's Song/As you Were, Rise Above It, Deep Channel.