TOMMY SANDS: Arising From the Troubles
TOMMY SANDS
Arising From The Troubles
Elm Grove Music
The profession of troubadour-peacemaker is a noble one, and nowhere has it proved more challenging, and at long last rewarding, than in Northern Ireland, where Catholic and Protestant children can now attend “mixed” schools together and leaders of the opposing forces have met in cautious yet previously unimaginable amity. County Down-born Tommy Sands’ career in many ways resembles that of America’s Pete Seeger (a close friend), in that they are committed activists who have lived to see some encouraging results of their labors. Sands was obviously in it for the long haul, too, performing at first with his three siblings and now with his daughter Moya (fiddle, vocals, bodhrán, whistle), and son Fionan (mandolin, banjo). His aesthetic is that of a balladeer/storyteller who is well acquainted with traditional music but prefers to couch his message in hook-laden tunes that are easy for audiences to learn and take home. In that, his songs have much in common with the Clancy Brothers and the catchier side of the American protest canon. Sands has obviously called in a few favors for this release, as a reedy, shaky but no less powerful Pete Seeger, the latter’s grandson Tao, Irish music legend Dolores Keane, Planxty/Bothy Band/Moving Hearts alum and bouzouki master Dónal Lunny, fiddler Lisa Gutkin, now with the Klezmatics, and Scottish musician/producer John McCusker all sit in, among others. But it is a tribute to Sands himself that, despite the star power on hand, it is his impassioned advocacy for social and economic justice that comes across most strongly.
— Christina Roden