February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE ROAD
Cathie Ryan
Singer/songwriter Cathie Ryan has long been a jewel in the Irish-American musical crown. The Detroit-born former lead singer with Cherish the Ladies has forged a successful solo career that will only benefit from this latest CD collection on the Shanachie label. The title track, according to Ryan, is for her a song of faith made more important still after the Sept. 11 attack on America. Shanachie’s website is www.shanachie.com, while Ryan’s is www.cathieryan.com.
THE KENNEDY MEN
Laurence Leamer
Laurence Leamer must be a gentleman of the old school. He wrote a New York Times bestseller called “The Kennedy Women” before he turned his attention to the men. His latest study of the Kennedys focuses on five Kennedy men, Joseph P. Kennedy and his four sons, and spans the period 1901-1963. While it might seem that there is little ground left to cover with the Kennedy’s, the sleeve notes state that “The Kennedy Men” is filled with “startling revelations.” William Morrow publishers. 882 pp. $35.
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ON FIRE
Black 47
Hard to believe that “On Fire” will be Black 47’s eigth release, but time does indeed move on. “On Fire” was put together on the road and is a compilation from the group’s March 2001 tour. It contains two songs not heard before on a Black 47 CD and also features one of the band’s most popular songs, “Our Lady of the Bronx.” Details from www.Black47.com.
PRODIGAL FATHER
The Life of John Butler Yeats (1839-1922)
William M. Murphy
“Begetting genius is a good thing, possessing it is better. John Butler Yeats happily did both.” This assessment from the New York Times Book Review underlines the importance of the subject matter in Murphy’s biography of the man who, in part, gave life to future genius in verse and on canvas. William Murphy is a literature professor at Union College and is an acknowledged expert on the Yeats family. Syracuse University Press. 690 pp. $29.95.