Cara Dillon
Country of origin:
Ireland
Type of music generally:
Traditional and contemporary folk
Status:
Most recent release, Hill of Thieves (2008/2009)
See also:
Cara Dillon's site
Comparisons:
Susan McKeown, shades of Kate Bush
Covers/own material:
Mostly traditional, some co-written originals and covers
General comments:
Cara Dillon was the original lead singer with Oige and then joined Equation before going solo.
Recommended first album:
Sweet Liberty
Recordings:
- Cara Dillon (2001)
- Sweet Liberty (2003)
- After the Morning (2006)
- Hill of Thieves (2008/2009)
Cara Dillon
Release info:
2001—Rough Trade—RTRADECD019
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Cara Dillon—vocals, arrangements
Guest artists:
Sam Lakeman—piano, harmonium, organ, arrangements
Justin Adams—electric guitar
Mary Dillon—backing vocals
Seth Lakeman—violin, viola; tenor guitar and mandolin (6); backing vocals (1)
Ben Nicholls—electric and upright bass
Roy Dodds—drums and percussion
Sean Lakeman—acoustic guitar (8, 10, 11)
Luke Daniels—button accordion
Dan Goddard—acoustic guitar (4)
John Reynolds—drums (1, 7)
Produced by:
Sam Lakeman; additional production by John Reynolds
Comments:
Nice English trad-folk album, but her voice isn't quite up to the material. (cdavis@tir.com)Her voice is sweet, if a little light, and the arrangements are lovely. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Sweet Liberty
Release info:
2003—Rough Trade—RTRADECD123
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Cara Dillon
Guest artists include
John Reynolds—drums
Produced by:
Sam Lakeman; additional production by John Reynolds
Comments:
cara dillon's sweet liberty is a great record. her previous work has left me indifferent but this is the stuff. folksy and poppy and heartfelt. shades of kate in some of the songs too. especially "falling like a star." a less kooky, more gentle kate but a good one. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
After the Morning
Release info:
2006
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Cara Dillon
Group members:
Cara Dillon—vocals
Guest artists include
Roy Dodds—percussion
Neil MacColl—guitar, mandolin
Ben Nicholls—upright bass
Sam Lakeman—various instruments
Simon Lea—drums
Produced by:
Sam Lakeman
Comments:
Follows where Sweet Liberty left off. Folk, pop, traditional, contemporary, bright, and moving. Cara's voice is still very sweet but has gotten much stronger than it was on her first album. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Hill of Thieves
Release info:
2008/9
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Cara Dillon—vocals, whistle
Guest artists include
Sam Lakeman—guitar (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10); piano (3–5, 7, 9, 10); bodhran (8); percussion (tracks 1, 4, 8)
James O'Grady—Uilleann pipes (1, 2, 6, 8,); low whistle (7)
Ben Nicholls—double bass (1, 4, 5, 7, 10)
Zoe Conway—fiddle (2, 5, 8, 10)
Eamon Murray—bodhran (1, 2, 8, 10)
Brian Finnegan—whistle (1, 6)
Seth Lakeman—vocals, tenor guitar, fiddle (4)
John Smith—guitar (1, 8); mandola (6)
Sean Lakeman—guitar (1)
James Fagan—bouzouki-guitar (2, 8, 10)
Ed Boyd—guitar (8)
Produced by:
Sam Lakeman
Comments:
Another beautiful album. Mellower than her recent work. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Further info:
A live DVD The Redcastle Sessions was released in 2008. She recorded "The Other Side" for The Wildlife Album (2005) and a cover of The Beatles' "Wait" with her husband Sam Lakeman for Rubber Folk (2006). "Ordinary Day" with Judge Jules and Katie Marne appears on Judgement Sundays: The True Sound of Ibiza: Mixed by Judge Jules (2006). A remix of her recording of "Black Is the Colour" was released on Dance Anthems 2007 Mixed By Dave Pearce. A live recording of "She's Like the Swallow" appears on the Cambridge Folk Festival album Cool as Folk (2007).
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
