|
|
 |
Celtic Tides: A Musical Odyssey
R1 - America - MPI Home Video Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (7th March 2007). |
|
The Show
 Looking at the guests in this documentary - Loreena McKennitt, Mary Jane Lamond, The Rankin Family, The Chieftains and Ashley MacIsaac, for example - you kind of get the feeling you're in for a Canadian perspective, whatever the subject may be. Such is the case, as the documentary tracks the story of Celtic music. They start with its origins in Ireland and Scotland. They talk about the role of women in the music. Then they follow the pioneers going to Eastern Canada and they talk about its evolution from there. One thing they could have done, though, is talk about Celtic music in Ireland and Scotland today. There's plenty of history of the music some hundreds of years ago, but they never talk about the state of the music in the country that originated it today. The information given is quite interesting, as various members of the Rankin Family walk around green pastures, introducing various topics, while the musical guests elaborate on the point made by its introduction. The flow of ideas is nice, though sometimes the transitions are a bit rough. Regardless, I just wanted to see Ashley MacIsaac rock out with Sleepy Maggie, and fortunately for me, the doc didn't disappoint. You see tons of clips of various performances from many people in this documentary. Unfortunately, they're only clips and not the entire song but you get a great feel of the energy that must be felt at the concerts. All these people show a tremendous passion for their music, and it shows in the energy of their music. You know they love making music and wouldn't be doing anything else. Their concerts must be a lot of fun with a lot of life. It doesn't matter where you're from or what music you listen to, you have to admire the love these people have for their roots.
Video
1.33:1 full frame. The picture is definitely a bit soft, but that comes from the source, not the transfer. The colours are good, and there are no specks or scratches, but the level of detail could be better. I didn't see and digital work, such as edge enhancement. There aren't any compression artifacts, which is a good thing because the show is only 46 minutes long. It's a decent picture, but nothing more.
Audio
This is in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (with optional English subtitles). The only important thing about this track is whether you can hear the voices and music or not. Fortunately, you can hear everything perfectly. Whatever the accent, whatever the note, you'll hear it clearly, with a nice amount of thump.
Extras
None!
Overall
|
|||||
|