THE WHILEAWAYS [CD LAUNCH]

The Whileaways sees three distinct voices combine to weave a beguiling tapestry of harmonies and beautifully crafted original songs. Their sound is true, their delivery undeniably engaging.

These three singers could all front their own projects, and indeed have. With six previous albums to their collective credit, this is their debut as one.

Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce and Noelie Mc Donnell came to know each other’s singing over a number of years, playing in sessions in the folk melting pot of Galway city. Dipping their toe in the water as a trio, they were hailed as ‘a knockout of the festival’ at the legendary Port Fairy Folk Festival in 2012. Overwhelming public reaction prompted a recording, and their  debut album recorded in a log cabin in Co Galway. Most certainly imbued with the sounds of their respective travels on both sides of the Atlantic, this debut brings something fresh to the familiar. More than that, it is beautifully original, in a way that doesn’t allow it to sit complacently in the Americana box.

Individually, The Whileaways are: Noriana Kennedy, whose solo album Ebb n Flow received rave reviews in Ireland and as far off as Australia where she was acknowledged as ’an exceptional young artist with a rare ability’ (ABC Australia). Nicola Joyce, ‘a magnificent vocalist who sings with sheer beauty and poignancy” (Earl Hitchener, The Wall St. Journal), recorded and toured extensively as the leader singer with the group Gráda, working with folk stalwart and Grammy winner Tim O Brien along the way. Noelie McDonnell, ‘a startlingly good Irish talent’ (New York Post), spent two months in the iTunes Top 10 folk album charts and has three solo albums to his credit.