As we creep toward the full bloom of the holiday season, I continue to keep my ears open for albums that this column’s readers will find interesting and wow, have I found one for you this week. In the media player has been “Thing of the Earth” by the Belfast-based band Réalta. It consists of 10 tracks of traditional music that are sometimes raucous, sometimes tender, but always exciting. I think this is an excellent album that shows what traditional music can say in the hands of smart, creative young musicians and if you’re a fan of traditional music, I think you’re gonna truly dig it.
Réalta has drawn comparisons to outfits like the Bothy Band and Planxty and while I think those comparisons are fair, I’d argue that it’s really “in spirit only.” This is a band with its own sound that’s developed substantially over the last decade. I wrote about their debut album “Open the Door For Three” 10 years ago and remember thinking highly of it back then, but a listen to “Thing of the Earth” shows that they’ve come a long way since then, both musically and artistically.
The band is made up of Deirdre Galway (guitar, piano, vocals), Conor Lamb: (uilleann pipes, whistles, piano), Dermot Mulholland (banjo, bouzouki, double bass, vocals), Dermot Moynagh (bodhrán, percussion), and Loïc Bléjean (uilleann pipes, whistles), each one an excellent musician who fires on all cylinders. (Galway and Lamb were two of the group’s three founders.) They’re joined here by Myles McCormack (vocals, guitar, mandolin), also from Belfast who, as I’ll explain below, brings some magical stuff to the mix here.
“Thing of the Earth” contains several powerful instrumental tracks. “Skidoo,” the album’s opener, is a great example. Using a Steve Cooney tune as its foundation, the pipes and banjo-heavy arrangement is dynamic, exciting, and groovy. It’s very modern sounding music and is a perfect herald for what the rest of the album holds. Other great instrumental tracks include “The Kittycat Slip jigs,” a lively track that pairs whistles and mandolin with well considered bodhrán, and “Up and About in the Morning,” a jig/slide set that uses crisp musicianship and a fine arrangement to fine effect. These are all great tracks.
But the album also includes four songs, which is where I think the group really distinguishes itself. While all four vocal tracks are great (including the compelling cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’”), there a pair of vocal tracks that really stand out to me. The first is “Thing of the Earth,” a McCormack original “about the nature of belief and the desire for strong connections between each other and the earth we live on.” It is an extremely well written song that uses a finely tailored arrangement to draw attention both to the tenor of the lyrics and to the fine quality of McCormack’s voice.
But there’s no doubt in my mind that the album’s finest track (and really, one of the best vocal tracks I’ve heard all year) is “The Wind That Shakes The Barley.” It’s a very fresh take on the beloved classic that features guest Cathy Jordan of Dervish (https://www.cathyjordan.ie/). Together with McCormack, they weave a spellbinding vocal arrangement into an exceptionally well considered instrumental background that builds tension and evokes the tense poetry of the song’s lyrics. This is a brilliant bit of music that takes a great album and makes it even better.
“Thing of the Earth” is superb. It’s rooted in great traditional music, but what’s best about it is the stylish approach they’ve taken with their artistic vision. Although certainly inspired by the supergroups of the past – the members of Réalta clearly and lovingly embrace their influences – this album has a different sort of modern appeal that makes their music exciting and I recommend it very highly. Like I said above, I think traditional music lovers will dig what’s going on here. Definitely, definitely one for the collection! For more information about “Thing of the Earth,” visit https://www.realtamusic.com/
