Music Review: Cathy Jordan – All the Way Home

Cathy Jordan is a longtime member of the Irish traditional band Dervish. This is her first solo effort, and it is a smashing success.

All the Way Home is an appropriate title for this recording, as Jordan celebrates songs she learned from her family and friends growing up, as well as four original songs which celebrate Irish tradition. The first song on the CD, “The Road I Go,” and the last song, “All the Way Home,” take Jordan full circle from leaving to coming home again. The other original songs are “The Jordan Jig,” a merry little instrumental, and another instrumental, the beautiful “The River Field Waltz.”

All of the other songs on the CD are traditional, and Jordan provides notes for all of them. “The Bold Fenian Man” is a song her mother used to sing in the kitchen, and “Eileen McMahon” is a haunting song her father loved to sing. “The Banks of the Foyle” was a favorite of an uncle, and “The Lark in the Clear Air” takes Jordan back to the time when she heard it on the television on Sundays before Mass. “In Curraghroe” and “Ould Ballymoe” are also part of Jordan’s musical heritage. “Sliabh Gallion Braes,” is a lovely but somber song which deals with bad times and tenant evictions, giving it relevance for modern times as well.

Cathy Jordan has such a pure, beautiful voice that it is perfect for traditional Irish tunes. No matter where you are, these songs will transport you to somewhere green that exists in your own memory, and if you have Celtic blood as I do, you may feel a tug on your heart strings even if you’ve never been to Ireland. This CD is an excellent addition to the collection of any Celtic, folk, or World music fan.