Eleanor McEvoy

Eleanor McEvoy - Eleanor McEvoy - 1993 - Geffen Records

Eleanor McEvoy, from Dublin, Ireland won the Irish Record Industry Award for Best New Artist on the strength of her powerful and intensely emotional classic ''Only a Woman's Heart,'' which is one of the most sung modern Irish songs today. On this, her debut album, she sings more songs in the sane vein, as well as some good ballads with a lovely Celtic touch. This album is by no means a mystical, "Celtic lament" style album in the Enya/ Clannad style. There are some great upbeat songs on this album as well. Eleanor's soft and warm "Dublin" voice carry these songs perfectly, and they are all her own compositions. A good album from a very underrated artist. Buy her "Yola" album, and try and try and listen to listen to her "Snapshots" album.

TRACKS

1. Finding Myself Lost Again
2. Only a Woman's Heart
3. Apologize
4. Boundaries of Your Mind
5. For You
6. Go Now
7. It's Mine
8. Not Quite Love
9. Promises We Keep
10. Music of It All
11. Leave Her Now
12. Breathing Hope
13. Stray Thoughts

All songs composed by Eleanor McEvoy. Album also released with four bonus tracks

MUSICIANS

Eleanor McEvoy - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Harmonium & Violin
Bill Shanley - Guitars, Dobro, Organ & Harmonica
Jim Tate - Bass
Noel Eccles - Drums, Percussion & Programming
with
Declan Masterson - Uilleann Pipes
David Jones - Cello
David Agnew - Oboe
String Quartet

REVIEW

Eleanor McEvoy is an impressive debut album from McEvoy, proving that she is not only capable of fusing contemporary folk and celtic music, but that she's a singer-songwriter with a graceful, individual voice. Both the music and the songs have a quietly powerful beauty, which makes it no wonder that the album helped McEvoy win the Irish Record Industry Award for Best New Artist. © Thom Owens, All Music Guide

ABOUT ELEANOR MCEVOY

It was obvious from an early age where Eleanor McEvoy's interests lay. The career of one of Ireland's most popular songwriters started at age four when she performed at an Irish music competition as the lead singer in her sister's band. At eight, she took up the violin, and attended the College of music in Dublin for piano and violin up until 1985. Upon finishing school she attended the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras by night. She graduated from Trinity with an honours degree and was accepted to the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Eleanor worked with the Symphony Orchestra for five years before she finally took the plunge and left the classical world behind her to concentrate on her real passion - songwriting. Eleanor McEvoy achieved star status in Ireland in 1992 when her song "Only A Woman's Heart" inspired the title for and appeared on, the "A Woman's Heart" anthology album. It has since become the best selling album in Irish history, even eclipsing records by such legendary Irish artists as Van Morrison and U2. "A Woman's Heart" stayed in the Top 10 for over a year. 1994 saw the world-wide release of her self-titled debut on Geffen Records, "Eleanor McEvoy". Eleanor toured the USA, Europe and the Far East in support of the album, building up a loyal fanbase and racking up international sales. Leading Irish music magazine Hot Press placed the album amongst the top debuts of that year. 1996 was a busy year for Eleanor starting with the release of her second album "What's following Me?" described by Billboard magazine as "a...as must hear album.." this release featured the single "Precious Little". Eleanor again toured internationally playing to sold out venues in the USA and Europe. The second single, "Whisper A Prayer To The Moon" was featured in the Pierce Brosnan film, " The Nephew", which was released August 1998. Eleanor's involvement with film continued with her performance of "The Seabird" for the soundtrack of "Some Mother's Son" staring Helen Mirren , written by "Riverdance" composer Bill Whelan. Eleanor released her third album "Snapshots" in 1999. Produced by Rupert Hine, the album recieved rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. The Boston Globe described the album as "a gem...Its traversal of country, Celtic, and cosmic bar room styles is exhilarating..... SNAPSHOTS effectively freezes the listener in its frame". It was on the third US tour for this album that she began her collaboration with the Belfast pianist Brian Connor. On the release of the latest album Yola, UK Magazine MOJO wrote that "....the glorious simplicity of this release feels like a homecoming in every sense. ...the performances are beautifully restrained.." With co-writing credits going to Lloyd Cole, and Henry Priestman (The Christians), the album is available on the new "super audio" SACD format. Eleanor and Brian Connor have spent 2002 touring throughout Ireland, the UK, USA and Canada and will be returning to the USA and Canada for an additional series of dates in Sept- Oct 2002. As a songwriter Eleanor has had her songs covered by artists as diverse as Emmylou Harris, Phil Coulter and Mary Black. Caroline Lavelle's version of the McEvoy/Lavelle composition "All I Have" features in the latest episodes of the cult USA television series "Six Feet Under". © 2001 Harmony Ridge Music

BIO (Wikipedia)

Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. Eleanor composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart, the biggest-selling album in Irish history. Eleanor made her stage debut in November 1971 at the age of four with her older sister Marion and brother Kieran, playing her sister’s piano accompaniment for an Irish song in the “Slogadh” competition. They won the Dublin round of the competition. At a very young age, Eleanor was playing violin, improvising harmonies, in the parish folk group. In later years she arranged music for the group. From 1975 to 1988 Eleanor studied at the V.E.C. College of Music in Dublin, winning numerous scholarships for violin and piano. She won the college Senior Composition prize in 1983, and gained the A.L.C.M. Diploma (Violin) in 1988. Eleanor was tutored by Máire Breathnach in Irish traditional music, and was the winner of the Oireachtas Junior Solo Traditional Violin competition in 1981. In 1984 Eleanor commenced her four year Single Honour course in Music in Trinity College, Dublin, graduating in 1988 with a B.A. Mod, (Music). She was a Choral Scholar there in 1985 and 1986, and was also the leader of The University of Dublin Choral Society Orchestra. At this time also she was a violinist in several other orchestras and string quartets, and leader of the College of Music Senior orchestra. Eleanor did some part-time violin teaching in the North Dublin School of Music in Swords, Coolmine Community College, and in the prestigious St. Columba’s College, Rathfarnham. Eleanor toured with Phil Coulter in the United States, and with Mary Black's band's extensive and memorable tours, which included Japan. In 1988 Eleanor became a violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra, and remained there until 1992 when her song Only A Woman's Heart inspired the title for, and appeared on, the A Woman's Heart anthology album. It has since become the best selling album in Irish history. A Woman's Heart stayed in the Top 10 for over a year. In 1993 Eleanor released her self-titled album and toured extensively, including the United States and Asia, to promote it. 1996 saw the release of Eleanor's second album What's Following Me?. Eleanor released her third album Snapshots in 1999. Although she has featured in innumerable TV programmes over the years, it is worth mentioning that the production of this album was the subject of an excellent documentary in RTE’s “Cúrsai Ealaine” series. Eleanor released her fourth album, Yola, in 2001 and her fifth, Early Hours, in 2004. In August 2005 Eleanor had a sellout concert entitled “Eleanor McEvoy "Her Songs and Music” in the National Concert Hall with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Eleanor's sixth album, Out There, was released in September 2006. She has since toured extensively in the UK and Europe, and in Australia where she toured for twenty-five days in the Spring of 2007 and again in 2008. Eleanor's co-writing credits have seen her published with fellow writers and performers such as Rodney Crowell, Lloyd Cole, Brad Parker, Henry Priestman, Johnny Rivers and Dave Rotheray of The Beautiful South. Caroline Lavelle's version of the McEvoy/Lavelle composition All I Have features in the USA television series Six Feet Under. Eleanor's song Whisper a Prayer to the Moon from her second album was featured in the film The Nephew, starring Pierce Brosnan. In Some Mother’s Son, which starred Helen Mirren, she sang Bill Whelan’s The Seagull. Eleanor's recent albums have been adopted by the Hi-Fi community, and are frequently used to test speakers and amplifiers. Yola has been described as an industry standard for SACD, winning awards and accolades from the Hi-Fi industry. The album, Out There, was named Record of the Year for 2007 by Hi-Fi+ Magazine in Britain. Eleanor's latest album Love Must be Tough was released in May 2008. In October of 2008 Love Must be Tough was named Record of the Year for 2008 by Hi-Fi+ Magazine.