Known primarily for her long-time tenure within the Irish world music group Kíla, Dee Armstrong enchants with her new album, "DEICHTINE'S DAUGHTER." The nine-track showcases the new depth of Irish mythology through a modern lens. Gaoth Mara finds its revitalized Celtic spirit upending elements of traditional music with newfound story-telling qualities for an evocative listening experience.
Inspired by a poem by Louis De Paor, the album wonders, What if Deichtine, the mother of the legendary Cú Chulainn, had a daughter? Or if the legendary warrior had a sister? What struggles would she take on, and what would her story look like? Armstrong’s album tells these untold stories, and there is an outpouring of strength, resilience, and defiance in all the notes. And with "DEICHTINE’S DAUGHTER," Armstrong remakes it. Each song is an homage to the women who travel the warrior’s path without fanfare, the talons of their trials only dimly appreciated but no less heroic.
Two tracks, "Winter Cherry" and "Prince of Laughter," shine through with their complex arrangements and deeply personal storytelling. "Winter Cherry" is a haunting exploration of perseverance and change, whereas "Prince of Laughter" boasts an ebullient but achingly bittersweet quality that haunts after the last note. Armstrong’s musicianship and gritty authenticity throughout all nine tracks transport the listener to a place where past and present collide.
At 43:15, "DEICHTINE’S DAUGHTER" is a plangent, strikingly ghostly aural experience that is at once reverent of Celtic tradition while being inherently forward-moving. This release solidifies Dee Armstrong as a trailblazer in Irish music, blending the old with the new, the traditional with the experimental. "DEICHTINE’S DAUGHTER" is an experience, a resurgence of forgotten voices, and a compelling pledge to the weight of untold stories.
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