Scottish Tranquility: Piano And Orchestral Classics
Not many composers have worked with Elvis Presley, Cliff Richards, The  Dubliners, and Planxty. Such is the strange musical world of Phil Coulter, who has  recorded a series ofTranquilityrecords that emphasize lush orchestral  arrangements of various national folk music from Ireland to America, and on this title,  Scotland. "Lush" is the operative word here, as he spins classic Scots melodies like "Ye  Banks and Braes" and "Auld Lang Syne" into Mantovani-like flourishes for piano and  orchestra, punched up with a fuzzy but gentle electric guitar and drums to give it "punch."  It's the apex of Celtic nostalgia, and you will love it or hate it based solely on your  tolerance for lots of airy strings, rippling piano lines, and reverbed, mountainous flute  sounds. Coulter has had a lot of gold and platinum recordings over the years, so there's  plenty of fans for his Celtic lounge act.--Louis Gibson