ÉilÃs ( pronounced ay - leesh) was born and grew up in West Kerry , in the south of Ireland. She is a native Gaelic speaker and she grew up in a music - loving family. Her family tree has lots of great singers and she learned many songs at home.
Later , as she grew up , she was exposed to many types of music and began singing contemporary songs. She has met and toured with many musicians over the past 10 years and has been lucky to live in an area which attracts musicans and singers. Not surprisingly , she has a large repertoire of songs and was prompted by many people to record some of them. She sings expressively in Gaelic and loves to introduce Gaelic songs to those who have little experience of the language. She has a wealth of beautiful English songs , traditional and contemporary. Her passion is and always has been singing and it shows. She also plays whistle and flute and is a regular participant in music sessions . ÉilÃs is a great teacher of songs and does so with great humour .
Here are some reviews of her album " Time to Sail"
Eilis is an exciting singer, who is clearly inspired by the texts she sings. She has a real flair for communicating expressively but not over-ornately, and possesses an enviable control of phrasing and dynamics. Her degree of accomplishment is uniformly impressive, on slower and faster material alike - her lightness and vocal control on the jig-paced opener Nead Na Lachan and the energetic Factory Girls contrasts well with the emotional impact of the Henry Lawson setting Andy's Gone A-Droving.... This is a superb album, with a well-defined character and a stamp of real lasting quality, and a credit to all concerned.David Kidman, www.netrhythms.com
Eilis Kennedy from Dingle Co Kerry is a quietly growing presence on Irish singing circles. Her debut album Time To Sail unveils a massively underrated vocal talent with a quiet mastery of her craft. Her voice is a thing of gentle sublime beauty, the like for which mothers would be sold and kings ransoms exchanged.. Her sweet, clear, and flowing tones make short work of demanding songs in both English and Gaelic. Folk Roots Magazine
The Irish Times December 2001 ****
Without a lick of paint or a blast of fanfare, Eilis Kennedy ( one time member of the Melting Pot from Baile na nGall) has released a spectacular solo debut. Kennedy, a singer whose vocals need neither searchlight nor scaffolding to bore holes into the soul, belongs to a select company of singers (alongside Karan Casey and Virginia Rodriguez) possessd of the finesse of a seamstress and the precision of a neurosurgeon. Tá Mé 'Mo Shuà straddles the folk/trad divide effortlessly, Kennedy's guileless vocals hammocked by Barry Phillips' perfectly-judged cello. Her re-working of The Factory Girl , funkily imbued with a new-found hip-swivelling optimism, gels startlingly with a pair of barndances that lift and seperate the sentiment and rhythms as though they were genetically engineered for one another. A magnificent collection. ". Siobhán Long, The Irish Times www.ireland.com
Irish Music Magazine March 2002
Every once in a while, an album comes along which heralds a potentially, major yet underrated vocal talent. My first exposition to Eilis Kennedy and her debut album Time To Sail was through hearing Nead na Lachan sail through the radio waves, her clear sparkling voice and a clever arrangement made me want to checked out this Dingle based native. Now having listened to Time To Sail several times, my thoughts are unchanged Eilis Kennedy is an untapped major vocal talent waiting for the moment to shine. Why? For starters, she has a soft yet lyrical voice, which clearly sails through the albums ten, tracks and is equally at home with traditional and contemporary material. Some of the latter chosen is quite daunting including Sandy Dennys classic Who Knows where the Time Goes, Fairport Conventions Crazy Man Michael and Nic Jones s Canadee -i-o.
In the case of Who Knows where the Time Goes where lesser hands would have made a histrionic meal, Eilis interprets Sandy Dennys wistful allegory to her then lover Trevor Lucas with a quietly impressive authority and Canadee -i-o emerges as a fresh delightful performance. Where Eilis Kennedy scores is in the subtle arrangements framing her sparkling vocal chords and a tasteful choice in material. Time To Sails success is due to taste on all fronts- a gorgeous record no more no less. www.mag.irish-music.net
Check out the artist's website:
http://eiliskennedy.comTrack List:
1. Nead Na Lachan
2. Who Knows Where the Time Goes
3. The Factory Girl
4. Crazy man Michael
5. Lord Franklin
6. Amhrán na Leabhar
7. Canadee-i-o
8. Andy's Gone
9. Ta Mé 'mo ShuÃ
10. Black is the Colour
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