Michael McCann, Soldiers' Songs - 48m 4s

Tracks & Durations

1. Christmas in the Trenches (John McCutcheon)	5:32
2. We Danced to an Old Fashioned Tune (Johnny McEvoy)	3:36
3. The Wall (Tim Murphy)	4:31
4. The D-Day Dodgers (Norbert Schultz & Hans Leip)	2:40
5. Michael (Johnny McEvoy)	4:04
6. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)	6:16
7. Lorena (J.P.Webster/H.D.Webster)	3:09
8. The Rocks of Bawn (Traditional)	5:05
9. The Rose of No Man's Land (Caddigan/Brennan)	1:58
10. The Green Fields of France (Eric Bogle)	5:34
11. The Minstrel Boy (Traditional)	2:13
12. Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier (Traditional)	1:21
13. The Soldier's Song (Peadar Kearney/Patrick Heeney)	1:57

Note: The information about this album is acquired from the publicly available resources and we are not responsible for their accuracy.

Review

Michael McCann, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient for his service and valor in the Vietnam War, hails from an Irish-American family with a strong choral tradition. Here, under the watch of Ireland's many-time accordion champ, producer John Whelan, McCann sensitively delivers 13 songs drawn from 8 wars including World Wars I and II, Vietnam, and the American and Irish Civil Wars. McCann's Celtic choir-boy folk minstrelsy is warmly supported by a backing band that includes Whelan's squeezebox, Pat Kilbride on guitar, and the exquisite pipes and whistles of Jerry O'Sullivan. Outstanding are a haunting version of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," the multiple harmonies of "The Rose of No Man's Land," the falsetto warble of "The Minstrel Boy," and the brief but beautiful instrumental "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier," on which McCann's whistling takes the lead. --Paige La Grone A unique mixture of history and song by combat veteran Mike McCann, this collection covers songs from World Wars I & II, Vietnam, the American and Irish civil wars, the British African Wars and a few Irish rebellions.

Traditional favorites like the "The Minstrel Boy" and "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" are joined by "The D-Day Dodgers", that satire fired at Lady Astor for her ill-conceived comment about the lads of the British 8th Army fighting in the Italian campaign of World War II. And there's "The Wall", a powerful new song by Tim Murphy about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. "The Rose of No Man's Land" is done as a tribute to McCann's great aunt who served as a nurse on the battlefields of World War I

The CD insert contains well-researched background on the songs, placing each in its historical context, making the lyrics come alive. The album was produced by John Whelan, the 7-time All-Ireland accordion champion and recording artist, and features uilleann piper Jerry O'Sullivan, guitarist Pat Kilbride, pianist Kinny Landrum, violinist Lisa Gutkin and John on accordion.

Today there is a keen interest in great wars and battles. The Civil War Chronicles, Saving Private Ryan and The History Channel have attracted wide audiences. "Soldiers' Songs" amplifies this interest with music and lyrics which tell powerful stories about these wars and the soldiers who fought them. The CD is proving popular with veterans, history buffs, educators and lovers of folk music.

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