Rising Gael’s fourth effort, IV, is one of those fun Sunday afternoon albums. You know the kind, where you just pop it in and listen with while cleaning or relaxing in the sun.
The group hails from Madison, WI, and musicians Katie Dionne, Erin Ellison, Jeff Olson, and Peter Tissot are a powerhouse. Each one has fantastic credits to their name, and together they have won several awards in the Midwest and played Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Irish Fest. Katie Dionne’s fiddle has been compared to Natalie MacMaster, Erin Ellison’s voice is smooth and perfect for this Celtic platform, Jeff Olson’s rhythm section is the backbone, and Peter Tissot breathes new life into his guitar playing.
The album opens with “Weatherman”, a fun poppy tune that is sure to get you dancing about. “Black Mountainside” gives me the feeling of the Appalachian Mountains, some real roots of the country. While the middle of the album mellows out, it includes the pair of songs “Letters” and “Postscript”, both of which work together well, the latter being a fantastic instrumental. Their cover of “Black is the Color” is also worth a good listen. The end-cap to the album, “D Mac”, gives a great finale to the album, leaving you wanting more of Rising Gael! Time to hit repeat on this sunny Sunday.
Artist: Rising Gael
Album: IV
Hometown: Madison, WI
Similar Artists: The Corrs, Natalie MacMaster, Gaelic Storm, Solas, Kate Rusby, Silly Wizard
Romana Guillotte is an MFA Screenwriting candidate at UNLV and terribly average cellist. In addition to writing reviews for Marc Gunn’s Celtic Music Magazine, she moonlights as a barista when not volunteering at film festivals. She self-published her first novel Lydia’s Family in 2006 and is working on her second.