The Chieftains are the most Irish of all commercial bands and, therefore, the most universal in spirit.
They embody their musical heritage with such fierce allegiance to its true origins that nothing compromises their integrity. They work with ballet companies, symphony orchestras, classical Chinese ensembles, and even hard-edged rock stars with miraculous consistency. No matter what the setting, they are first and foremost still the lyrical, deeply harmonious Chieftains.
Over the course of 30 years of melodious prosperity, they have evolved into an ensemble that is admired by music lovers throughout the world for its warmth of feeling and honesty of expression. Now, through their new album Another Country, they stand to attract the mightiest of all American audiences — the steadfast, loyal, and incredibly vast country music market.
Another Country is a genuine milestone from a historical point of view. Country music developed in its most fertile areas as an extension of Scotch-Irish balladry. The hillbilly sound on which Nashville was founded grew directly out of the dance tunes and alternately harrowing and hilarious story-songs of Appalachia, the Ozarks and points in between. Jigs, reels, and whimsical ditties were adapted throughout the South to fit the new societies of immigrants and pioneers that sprang up with the westward push of American culture.
Country music has since become an institution. It has had its Bach (personified by Jimmie Rodgers) and Beethoven (lonesome moaning Hank Williams). It is as ingrained in the fabric of common 20th-century music as New Orleans jazz, Mississippi Delta blues, or plain old rock ‘n’ roll. Another Country adds an amazing amount of depth to that breezy analysis. It carries country music back home, where its sad verses always yearn to be, it seems, in one way or another.
The album is a surefire blockbuster. It features the Chieftains with guest stars Chet Atkins, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ricky Skaggs, Don Williams, and Colin James. The musical mix that results is an exuberant evocation of the old and new, a resonant demonstration of the Irish influence at work in hip, happy new Nashville.
The project is laden with unforgettable songs (“I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Wabash Cannonball,” et al) and memorable interpretations of traditional Irish airs (“Father Kelly’s Reels,” “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shores,’ etc.). But it is the blending of the twin currents of Irish and country conventions that renders the proceedings imperiously distinguished.
Chet Atkins’ progressive guitar picking on “Heart-break Hotel” lends a jazzy touch to the Chieftains’ down-to-earth empathy. Likewise, Willie Nelson’s uncluttered singing of “Goodnight Irene” is perfectly modulated by the Chieftains’ moving instrumental accompaniment. Every track on the album contains a worth while synthesis of styles. Some cuts are made up of several songs strung together in illuminating medleys. “Wabash Cannonball,” for example, also includes portions of “Morning Dew” and “Father Kelly’s Reels” — all of which fit together beautifully.
That compatibility of sources and resources is the theme that binds together the entire album. The foot-tapping enthusiasm of the Chieftains is at bottom no different from the singalong infectiousness that enriches the best country music. In short, Another Country is a lush tapestry of emotional responses that are as old as the hills and as fresh as today’s joys and heartaches.
The Chieftains’ strength is their thoroughly integrated achievement as a group. They have in Another Country joined forces with an astonishing array of country stylists, but what emerges from that union is more than a series of star turns. It is instead unmistakably a Chieftains album that is invigorated by the input of the numerous celebrities who sit in with them.
In addition, the interaction of the Chieftains’ players with such iconoclastic country sharpshooters as banjoist Bela Fleck, bassist Edgar Meyer, dobro master Jerry Douglas, and mandolinist Sam Bush are revelatory in their intensity. Young Canadian pop sensation Colin James is in top form singing and playing mandolin and guitar on “Cunla.” Ricky Skaggs, who is routinely high – strung and lively, sounds positively inspired on “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” Emmylou Harris, whose specialty is delicate lyricism, has never been better matched than she is with the Chieftains on “Nobody’s Darlin’ But Mine.” Moreover, the normally ultra-laidback Don Williams picks up the tempo delightfully on “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Practically the whole crew shifts into overdrive for the finale, an upbeat “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” All in all, the Chieftains, rightly celebrated as they are for their indefatigable virtuosity, have outdone themselves with Another Country.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the November 1992 issue of Irish America. ♦
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