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Early Reviews for Bayou Curious (2014)... |
"Shoots out of the gate with a bang... will likely leave more footpaths to explore." OffBeat Magazine Review, June 1, 2020 "In the past you'll have read a lot in the magazine about Tex-Mex music; now we offer you a new genre – Tex-Bret! . . . In truth, the range of styles that they play is much wider than this, including tracks of traditional music from Scotland, France, and Ireland, as well as some fiery Cajun music and song. Actually, it's the last-named genre that make the most impact amongst some very impressive stuff... Rock and roll energy with the precision of a string quartet" Vic Smith —fRoots Magazine "...this would be an early odds-on favorite for Celtic Album of the Year!" Chuck Bloom — Southwest Celtic Music Association "All of this talent adds up to a very complex and successful layering of instruments and voices for a nice mix of Breton and Cajun song and dances... the songs on this CD are really outstanding... The combinations of rhythms and sounds are sometimes surprising but always successful." Lois Kuter - Bro Nevez #132 - August 2014 |
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| Reviews for In Good Time (2007) |  |
"...this is one of the best interpretations of Breton music I've heard from American musicians - from deep in the heart of Texas... Clearly they understand the Celtic musical heritage of Ireland and Scotland as well and its presence in North America, and this is a great inter-Celtic mix interpreted by skilled musicians in a unique way." Lois Kuter - Bro Nevez #103 - August 2007 |
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| "Poor Man's Fortune has once again shown why it is perhaps the most innovative and interesting traditional band in the US. This band has achieved something special in their new CD, In Good Time." "While others are content to imitate to a fault, Poor Man's Fortune strikes out into places most bands fear to tread. Unusual time signatures, odd turns of the musical phrase and challenging mixtures of modern instruments (electric bass, drums) with ancient sounds (the bombarde, hurdy-gurdy, fiddle and biniou) -it all somehow works." "Stomping dance music— Irish jigs and Breton gavottes—mingle with heartfelt songs and delicate waltzes in this universe where anything is possible." "Buy In Good Time and enrich your life. You will never regret it." |
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| Bill Galbraith, KPFT, FM 90.1, Houston Public Radio, June, 2007 | |
| Austin Chronicle's Texas Top 10 CDs, 2007: #6 | |
| David Lynch - Austin Chronicle - January 4th, 2008 | |
| "The musicians of Poor Man's Fortune made the effort to immerse themselves in our repertoire of traditional melodies and came out with a beautiful selection. Their keen musical sense did the rest... " | |
| Jean-Michel Veillon, May, 2007 | |
| "This CD features outstanding musicians who arrange all their music with a real understanding of the genre. As a listener, I appreciate the extra work Poor Man’s Fortune puts into introductions and transitions. The melody textures change according to the atmosphere of the piece they are performing." | |
| Becky Trotter - Ceili - Southwest Celtic Music Association Newsletter, September/October 2007 | |
| "In Good Time's 10 tracks are gold..., expertly recorded and energetically performed." | |
| David Lynch, Austin Chronicle, July, 2007 | |
Brittany is one of the major sources of material for Poor Man's Fortune, a delightfully eclectic trio from Austin that gets a lot of different sounds from a lineup based on fiddle, flute, and squeezebox but joined by a lot of other instruments. In Good Time [self-released (2007)] includes everything from "The Connaughtman's Rambles" medley, a jig set that backs flute and fiddle with buzzing hurdy-gurdy and didjeridu, to an unconventional version of the English ballad "The Unquiet Grave" that incorporates a Breton bombarde in an uncustomary accompanying role. There's a lot of spicy Breton dance music here as well, plus assorted pleasant diversions into hornpipes, waltzes, and polkas. |
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| Dirty Linen (#133, December 2007/January 2008) | |
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| Reviews for Blow Hard (1999) | |
| "Poor Man's Fortune demonstrates a refreshing curiosity to make something new out of traditional material." | |
| Gert-Ove Fridlund, Hallandsposten, Gotteburg, Sweden |
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| "This Texas-based group is one of the few I've heard that relies successfully on the Breton tradition... not that Poor Man's Fortune isn't capable of a more than decent Irish tune." | |
| Jack B. Nimble, Green Man Review |
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| "This is a CD filled with energy... Not one of those mothproofed trad albums. (On Blow Hard) Poor Man's Fortune deliver here fresh and enthusiastic interpretations. One can really enjoy the impetuous virtuosity of the musicians." | |
| José Ruiz, Accordéon Magazine |
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| "A very unique band, whose elements of Irish, Breton, Scottish and French traditions are blended into a fresh and sharp sound all their own." | |
| Steve Winick, Dirty Linen |
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| "The astonishing outfit known as Poor Man's Fortune gives a four star performance on the humorously titled Blow Hard. The local three-piece balances Irish and Breton music--the jig beside the gavotte, the reel by the plinn—with delightful results." | |
| Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle |
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| "Poor Man's Fortune's music gives strong testimony that Celtic roots run deep in Texas." | |
| Gert-Ove Fridlund, Hallandsposten, Gotteburg, Sweden |
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| #6 of Top 10 Texas CDs, 2000 (Blow Hard) | |
| Austin Chronicle | |
| "Blow Hard is present testament to the past and future… living proof of what any lover of traditional music will tell you: What's old is always new again." | |
| Austin Chronicle | |
| “Blow Hard sounds like a bag of hammers thrown down a flight of stairs,.” | |
| Britney Spears | |
