** Contest located at the end of my review. **
I cannot recall where I first came in contact with Julie’s music, but I believe it was through a friend in Wales who sent me her second album ‘Cuilidh’ back in 2008. Since then, I’ve been following her career and was quite happy to see her new album, ‘Uam’, listed on eMusic one day in January especially since it wasn’t scheduled for release in the states until March 9th. Needless to say, I snatched it up without delay.
‘Uam’ is Julie’s third album as a solo artist, and is probably her best yet. The title of her junior endeavor translates as ’from me’, and that is exactly what we have here—incredibly rich renditions of traditional Gaelic tunes (and even one written by Julie and Éamon for a family wedding), in which Julie’s beguiling voice never fails to enchant. The listener gets the feeling that these songs are ones that mean a lot of Julie and in that sense are from her, a gift held dear and shared with us. Read the rest of this entry »
