Sephira, music from Ireland for the Holidays
Christmas with Irish sisters, Sephira
Sephira is a duo consisting of sisters Joyce and Ruth O'Leary and they have released a Christmas album for the ages. The album Starlight by the aforementioned duo showcases their mastery of the violin, their ethereal and angelic vocals, and their penchant for infusing Celtic and classical influence into popular music. Starlight brings a breath of fresh air into the crowded Christmas music arena. The album consists of Christmas classics like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silent Night, and Sleigh Ride but also has contemporary crowd pleasers like Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. There is also an original composition by the O'leary sisters called Beneath a Thousand Stars and it flows perfectly with the rest of the album.
Sephira performs Hallelujah
Sephira and Traditional World Music
The two part harmonies on Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas open up the album and it becomes immediately apparent that these young ladies have done their homework. The delivery of both their vocal and violin performances is complimentary to the other. The parts are tight and the counterpoint close together. Still, each part stands out with a separate-from-the-other quality highlighting each performers talent.
There are many standout moments on Starlight but Sephira's rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is simply breathtaking and cannot go unmentioned. The dynamics of the piece are light and thoughtful in the verses and deep and serene in the chorus. The production of the track consists of a piano and plush strings, which support the vocals perfectly. There have been many renditions of this song and in my opinion this is one of the best.
Sephira at Beyond Celtic performing Misirlou
Joyce and Ruth bring Christmas music with Startlight
Starlight by Sephira is the perfect soundtrack for a quiet Christmas Eve or a joyous Christmas morning. The Celtic flavor mixed with the supreme musical skill of Joyce and Ruth O'Leary make Starlight a must have soundtrack for the holiday season. For more about Sephira, http://sephira.ie
Aime Caron is a composer/musician currently living in Los Angeles, CA. He was born and raised in Taunton, MA and received his bachelors degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from the Berklee College of Music in Boston MA. He is a multi-instrumentalist and his main instruments are piano, guitar, and flute. He has a particular fondness for World Music though anything with a good groove and unique harmony/melody interests him the most. Mr. Caron has spent extensive time in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Moscow Russia where he was exposed to a diverse vocabulary of music from around the globe, like music by Sephira.
I have seen them perform live in Los Angeles, I know I was impressed!
Hey Devin, I hope they make it back to L.A. some time soon. Would love to see them live.
really an awesome post and performance is mind-blowing
Thank you Alexander. The album is really fabulous from start to finish. Looking forward to reviewing more of their stuff in the future.
Thanks so much for the great post, Aime. I love their magical voices and awesome playing and didn’t know about them until reading this. I want to see them if they come back to LA!