Here is my review of Phily Hardy’s upcoming CD entitled “Whistleworks”
Track 1: Hunters House / The Duke of Leinster
This track starts out with an atmospheric type of introduction. Acoustic guitar played over the rumblings of a chatting crowd. I enjoyed this a lot. It really got me in the mood to listen to some great whistling. Also being relatively new to the whistle world, it made me realize that there would be a lot more than whistles on this CD. Then the whistles, oh my. They are just so beautiful sounding. Previous to this CD, I had only really heard homemade or low-quality recordings. Listening to this track already blew me away. It really got me excited about listening to the rest of the CD. The track eventually accumulates to having a melodic whistle, a harmonic whistle, guitar, bass, and drums. It was a truly great combination of sound. On to the next track!
Track 2: The Long Drive Home / The Wedding Day
Listening to this track gave me goose bumps. To me, the mood set by this song was one of love and general respect. It would be something I would like to have played as I was strolling through a park or something of that sort. Beautiful, beautiful song.
Okay, maybe I should not be that specific or this review will become incredibly too long. Basically if you like whistling music of any sort, you are going to love this CD. It covers a wide spectrum of styles from the more traditional to the funky. The Whistlemaker is the track that comes to my mind the most when I think funk. Deep, heavy bass, shakers, funky whistle lines. It was an amazing experience hearing the whistle used in such a way. This CD is an emotional journey to say the least. Some of the tracks are very moving and so completely beautiful it is hard to believe. Others make you want to get up and dance and have a wonderfully good time. Phil has done amazing work with this CD. Using a wide variety of instruments to get the feelings he wanted across. I believe I even heard a didgeridoo on one track. It was simply awesome.
So, I highly suggest all of you grab a copy as soon as you can. It will be well worth your money and probably find a permanent home in your most listened-to collection. Twelve wonderful tracks of pure whistle magic. I know it certainly will be going into my car to listen to every morning. Thank you Phil for making a great CD.
Now all that is left to do is save up some money so I can buy my first low whistle and aspire to be able to create such wonderful things.