Riverdance

1	Reel Around the Sun / Bill Whalen 8:40
2	The Heart's Cry / Bill Whalen 2:26
3	The Countess Cathleen/Women of the Sidhe / Bill Whalen 5:42
4	Caoineadh Cu Chulainn (Lament) / Bill Whalen 4:09
5	Shivna / Bill Whalen 3:38
6	Firedance / Bill Whalen 6:02
7	Slip into Spring / Bill Whalen 3:44
8	Riverdance / Bill Whalen 5:42
9	American Wake (The Nova Scotia Set) / Bill Whalen 3:07
10	Lift the Wings / Bill Whalen 4:58
11	Macedonian Morning / Bill Whalen 2:56
12	Marta's Dance/The Russian Dervish / Bill Whalen 6:03
13	Andalucia / Bill Whalen 4:19
14	Home and the Heartland / Bill Whalen 3:25
15	The Harvest / Bill Whalen 3:38
16	Riverdance / Bill Whalen Remix 3:47

Barnes & Noble

What {|FIDDLER ON THE ROOF|} was to Yiddish music, RIVERDANCE is to Celtic. Like "Fiddler," RIVERDANCE amplifies the heart-tugging intimacy and ancient power of ethnic tradition to spectacle proportion. The show, a smash in the U.S., England and Ireland, divided trad music lovers: Some saw it as a crowning glory; others balked on the Broadway bombast. None can deny RIVERDANCE was a defining moment -- Celtic music's flying leap out of the world music section and into the living room of pop consciousness. The show's score runs from folksy pub room jig to near-symphony. Composer Whelan, who boasts a solid trad resume as well as impressive conservatory bonafides, understands the ever-present link between "folk" and "classical" musics. So even if he polishes off some of the tradition's grit and burnish, he brings fresh instrumental language, a vast scale, and awesome precision in execution. The album boasts mighty talent, including fiddler Eileen Ivers, piper Davy Spillane, Near-Eastern reedman Nicola Parov, and the Irish choir Anuna. And when all those steel-toed dancers thunder in, it is undeniably thrilling. Erik Goldman

All Music Guide

Even though the visual elements are missing, this soundtrack to Riverdance sounds quite spectacular, making a no-holds-barred attempt to captivate the listener with grandiose variations on Celtic musical forms. Adding to the grandeur and magic of the music are performances by artists such as Davy Spillane, Maire Breatnach, Anúna, Nicola Parov, and others who are forces to reckon with individually. The music transits between soaring vocal pieces and floor-shaking orchestral numbers that possess astonishing energy. Lead ceilidh dancer Michael Flatley left the production under something of a cloud, turning up later with the derivative and far more mediocre Lord of the Dance. On this recording he, female lead Jean Butler, and the other ceilidh dancers can be heard providing taps on three tracks, including the thunderous "The Countess Cathleen/Women of the Sidhe." Steven McDonald