Jan 5, 2007

DAVE WINS SONG OF THE YEAR

January always brings The Livies, and this year is no exception. 2006 was a great year for the music, and you heard it all on LiveIreland. As usual, it is time to hand out the Awards for the best of the best. There are three really huge Awards in trad music, The TG4's, The Livies and The Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll. These are the only true worldwide, big- time Awards, bringing major world-wide recognition to these deserving winners.

Song of the Year

Dave Gunning is from Nova Scotia. His album, Two Bit World, is an incredible piece of music. How does one so young get such insight, never mind such talent? A great voice for his music, he is wonderful. We saw him twice in concert in 2006 and were moved to our socks each time. His magnum opus so far has to be this year's Song of the Year, New Highway (co-written with J.P. Cormier). Written about Nova Scotia, this song is also perfect for Ireland, as well as anywhere else where tremendous economic development has changed everything. Folks in Ireland will tell you that the Celtic Tiger economy has been wonderful for the country, and that there has also been a tremendous loss of what it is that made Ireland so special for so long. The country is forever changed, and not all for the better. Swords do indeed have two sides. New Highway is all about what is lost, not gained. The song, and Gunning's genius, offer the knowledge that it is the same everywhere. We all want "the new highway". Then, we get it. "Be careful of that which you truly desire, for it will surely be yours." Last year's winner of this award, Wildflowers--performed by Cathie Ryan and written by John Spillane--joins this song in being two of the most moving musical moments we have experienced. New Highway is far more than a great song. It is an anthem of genius that has meaning for people in all countries where the economy is a rising tide lifting many boats, while also sinking others. Yup. We said it. We mean it. Genius.