ssjakira1's Full Review: Waking Ned DeVine by Original Soundtrack
While unloading books at work we get to listen to music. A co-worker brought in her MP3 player and introduced me to a great soundtrack from the movie Waking Ned Devine. I only heard a few songs from the soundtrack and it wasn’t until I saw the movie that I was able to truly appreciate its beauty and almost epic feeling. I mean, it feels wide, open, with clear breezes and free space. Aaah. I love it. Shaun Davey is the mastermind behind this soundtrack and I have to say, I’ll be looking for more of his work in the near future.
1.) Let the Draw Begin – 4:01 A fast and peppy start in true Irish fashion; beating drums, bagpipes, woody flutes, and sweeping notes. It’s got a few slower sections, but for the most part it just rolls right along until the end.
2.) Fisherman’s Blues – 4:14 Brought to you by The Waterboys, it’s weird that this song often plays at Barnes & Noble while I’m at work. But it’s fun because then I can hum along (or quietly sing if no one’s around). It’s a foot-tapping piece that you’ll “Whoo!” to when the time comes and bob to the fiddle and steady beat.
3.) Red Herrings – 3:29 A simple to-the-point kind of song that sort of loops in on itself as it goes with a little wood flute and fiddle trading on and off. You’ll lose track of time with this one.
4.) Maggie and Finn – 3:01 A very soft and gentle tune that actually reminds of me of Wesley and Buttercup’s main song in The Princess Bride. Like an intesting mix of quiet countryside and a hint of regal tones.
5.) Cursing in Heaven – 3:28 An almost scary beginning, dark and rather foreboding before breaking open into the fully-fledged main theme. The bagpipes are back for Ned and this is one of best pieces on this CD (which is tough to say since this entire CD is fantastic). You even get a bit of reverent chorus, a nice little addition.
6.) The Ballad of Ned Devine/The Witches Reel – 5:25 With Kirk Jones singing, we get Ned’s ballad (yay Irish accent!). It’s simple and one I end up singing the refrain to because I just can’t help myself. Then I’ll bob back and forth when the instruments take over (more bagpipes!) and swing my feet with the drums as they tap in the background. Then there’s The Witches Reel, a reel indeed.
7.) Jackie’s Theme – 2:59 Jackie’s theme is a really nice theme, with that cozy flute as the main instrument with a bagpipe and easy guitar strings strumming in a little later, all backed with faded violins. It’s sun-setting, rocking chair lovely.
8.) Michael’s Ride – 3:23 Representing probably the most hilarious part in the movie, a naked old man racing over bits of the Irish countryside on a motorbike. It’s fast and fun with everything working in time and cutting to a leisurely bit here and there in between.
9.) Beyond Dreams and Spirits – 4:31 Another dark start soon turns into a song that, while watching the movie, I completely doted over. A little snippet of a love song and then the violins take over so sing you to sleep.
10.) Hear Me – 3:27 I’m guessing our male singer is singing something lovely in Gaelic, and once he’s done, a woman slips in with English and once her piece has finished, both sing together in a fine duet.
11.) An Angel Will Cry – 3:28 Main theme straight ahead! I do so love the bagpipes in this. It’s so open and beautiful, it makes me picture a sun-bathed Irish ridgeline against the ocean far below just like in the movie. Lush and gorgeous. Coupled with a fiddle (or violin?), I just close my eyes and float away on this track.
12.) The Lotto Man Cometh – 3:40 It sounds a bit dim but it kicks up in no time flat to be quite like “Red Herrings,” before dropping off into a lone flute and…little birds. Yes, birdies. I didn’t even notice them until I listened to this soundtrack with headphones on. Now I can hear them quite clearly and love their inclusion to pieces. After that it picks up and gets all sorts of fun and semi-dramatic.
13.) Lux Eterna, My Eternal Friend – 5:52 Wow, this track is almost 6 minutes? I’ve never noticed until now. With a powerful start, bagpipe and all with slight bits of main theme involved, it brings back some of track 9 with Latin singing – only this time longer – before slipping into Jackie’s theme and his soft smile flutes. What I didn’t expect was a section from the movie in which Jackie gives a eulogy to his buddy Michael. It took me by complete surprise, but I’m glad they stuck it in there. Yes I am.
14.) The Tullymore Polka/The Witch, the Fiddle and the Phonebox – 5:33 Here we’re just having a good ole Irish time. Dance if you like. Drink a pint. Dance while drinking a pint and having a smoke. It takes a brief break, lurking around with the witch a bit before jumping onto the other feet and leaping up again. The whole song just goes and goes, winding up faster and faster until there’s nothing left but the fiddle squealing away until – the string breaks. Ha!
15.) The Parting Glass – 5:36 Another song I adore and will sing out loud, even in the presence of others. Basically, this is our main theme with words. Yay! “Since it fell into my lot that I should rise and you should not, I gently rise and softly call, ‘Goodnight and joy be to you all!’”
I love every bit of this soundtrack. It’s one that I listen to over and over and enjoy even more when the sun is outside shining and the trees are rustling in the breeze. It makes me want to visit a pub in Ireland and stand on the Isle of Man at the cliff edge and stare out over the ocean as the sun sets. And when certain pieces strike, simply reminds me of the movie and the fun, comfy feeling the movie brings.
If you like Irish music or anything remotely close to it, then I highly recommend this CD. Even if you don’t often listen to Irish music, give a few of these songs a try. If this sort of thing is your bag, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
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