Tucson to Tir na nOg by Teri Woods

(Elaine Higginbotham, The Castle Voice, WomanKraft)

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So many Americans can trace their roots back to the Emerald Isle that it's small wonder Irish music is big in this country, nor is it surprising that the Old Pueblo, founded as a European settlement by an Irishman, is a sort of vortex for Celtic song and dance. Tucson to Tir na nOg (Aisling West Music) is local singer Teri Woods' celebration of the love of Ireland amidst our desert landscape, featuring traditional and contemporary songs. Blessed with a crystal clear voice that is both pretty and soothing, Woods has the perfect instrument for this type of music, and she is surrounded by talented musicians who contribute everything from tin whistle to bodhran. Standout tracks include "I Am A Ramblin' Rover", a spirited cover of The Beatles' "Blackbird", and "The Legacy/Song for Ireland. (Tucson Lifestyle)

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The CD is a mixture of new songs written by Teri, some popular classics, and a few traditional tunes and ballads from Ireland.

The arrangement for The Curragh of Kildare, unlike some earlier recordings of this song, is slow-paced and sensitive, revealing the deeper meanings of the lyrics. Teri's crystal-clear voice is showcased in a number of well-known Irish ballads -- Come By The Hills, The Cliffs of Dooneen, and Ned Of The Hill. For Ireland, I'll Not Tell Her Name is sung in tight three-part harmoney without accompaniment. You will rarely hear anything as beautiful. The Earth Is So Dry composed by Teri, is dedicated to those who lost their homes and livelihoods in the Catalina Mountains fires during the summer of 2003. The lyrics sing of the parched earth longing for the coming of the rain. This concept is cleverly wrapped around a gentle love song -- the beloved longs for the return of her lover from his "journey afar." But soon the rain comes and soothes the dry land, the two lovers are reunited, and all is right with the world again. But the falling rain takes on a darker meaning in Wall Of Tears, a sad forlorn song about a broken relationship that brings out a sorrowful and almost vulnerable quality in Teri's voice that befits the painfully sad lyrics. The title song, Tucson to Tir na nOg is a worthy addition to the long line of Ireland's emigration songs that speak of the longing of the emigrants to return to their native homes. But this one perhaps is most special to those of us living in Tucson, because The Old Pueblo is now where we have made our new homes as we dream of old Erin and "the days gone by." Listen carefully to the final chorus on this track -- you might recognize the voices of some of your friends and neighbors! Teri's composition I am a Ramblin' Rover is a delightfully up-beat song that will make you get up and move.

The ever-popular Song For Ireland, first recorded by Mary Black, and by many other artists since then, is given a unique treatment on this CD. The track surprisingly starts out with pleasant dance music, but very quickly the mood of the music changes, becoming dark & misty like thick fog rolling in from the Atlantic Sea on the west coast of Ireland. Then from out of this mist, as it were, Teri's voice emerges, strong and clear, singing of the beauty of western Ireland. When the lyrics speak of "old pubs where fiddlers love to play" we are somehow transported back to an Irish pub scene, where we hear the clinking of glasses, and old friends heartily greeting each other with shouts of Slainte! while nearby we hear a fiddler playing lively reels. This is the closest thing imaginable to a music video -- without the pictures! Then when the track seems to be over, one more surprise awaits. But you will have to buy the CD to see what that is! (Muiris Foley, The Blarney Stone, Irish-American Gaelic Society)

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