Description
CD review by Graham Blackley
Australian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Mark Cryle, has released solo albums such as 2009’s ‘House of Cards’, which was crowned CD of the Year by Folk Alliance Australia.
As part of the talented band, Asleep at the Reel, Cryle showcases his song-writing, singing and guitar wielding skills to great effect on the eleven track album, “The Emerald Dream”.
n addition to Cryle, the band includes Mick Nolan (vocals, bass), Rose Broe (accordion, backing vocals), Hugh Curtis (fiddle, mandolin), Suzanne Hibbs (drums, percussion), plus special guests, Michael Fix (guitar, backing vocals) and Sarah Calderwood (flute, whistle and backing vocals on “The Bethany Bell”).
If you crave a mellifluous blast of toe-tapping and floor-filling Celtic folk to accompany your foaming pint of something dark and mysterious, check out the jaunty and energetic opener “The Gypsy in Me/The Banshee”.
For a change of style and pace, dive into the melodic and haunting folk pop of the soaring “Sweet Rain of Mercy”, which features a memorable chorus and atmospheric vocal harmonies.
One of the many qualities of this album is the fact that the songs are so deliciously catchy yet sufficiently deep to inspire the listener to return to “The Emerald Dream” again and again.
