Four Aflame Reviews

What people are saying about:
Four Aflame

Taxi - The World's Leading Independent A&R Company

"Tradition with flair, (and) renewed energy, (shows a) sense of appreciation for these
basic melodies. Chord motion, interplay between the vocals and the violins, guitar
is the highlight here.... Well put together.... Your joy comes through. Play on!"
www.taxi.com

Voiceworks: Lisa Popeil

"Spectacular playing....Very exciting performance and stylistically
authentic. Bravo.....You girls are doing something magical and I'm so
glad you are out there!.....Well done."

Lisa Popeil, Los Angeles www.popeil.com

"An explosion of strings"
"Four-part harmony.....and......four sisters! Maidens IV is made up of Havilah, Heather, Abigail and Tabitha. Originally a duo of two sisters named, you guessed it, Maidens II, the sisters have all joined forces and combined their considerable talents to bring out the best in the Celtic and Folk style music that they play.

An explosion of strings greets the ears with the first track on the CD which jumps right in, highlighting the considerable talent of the musicians. Next, on "Lark In The Morning" you begin to hear the pretty harmonies these ladies can form together as they hop and skip their way through a complex and lovely song.

Their last CD, "Charm and Fire" (Maidens III) showed the ladies to have mastered the instruments they play, and now they are tackling even more complex arrangements--truly an amazing whirl of sounds and rhythms here, and each track has something unique to offer.

The voices, although still sweet and youthful, have a new maturity to them that brings an added dimension to the sounds they bring forth. Please don't miss track 11, "Fiddlers Magic," for the obvious reason....although, in truth, you don't need to get that far into the CD to note the skill these ladies play with. The title of the album really brings to life what is going on here--"Four Aflame"--for the fire can be heard in the instruments that these lovely ladies command.

If you know anything about music--this CD will blow you away. And even if you don't--it's still a darn good listen! These ladies are a favorite of mine."

Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts.
She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among others and reviews music for
Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.

"Amazing!"This is what got me to like celtic music. I must admit that I haven't heard much celtic music except for occasionally at ren faires and on the radio,
but the maidens IV is different from other bands i have heard. I loved it. The pieces were
beautifully performed and choreographed at the Ohio state ren faire.
I loved the melodies." ~Sheep

”We saw them at the medieval faire too!!”
"Saw them at the faire with a friend. Promised to get their cd for her birthday and did so as it
just pasted. She loves it and plays it constantly in her car.
The girls do a great job!" ~B.A.

"Homerun!!!
"Got the chills with the singing on Doxology. Great stuff.
Maybe an album of old timey hymns in the works?
That would be great." ~Ethan

"Awesome!"
"Celtic/folk music, these girls are awesome.
I saw them at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire and they're flawless.
A GREAT buy!" ~Eriam

Superb! “I have long been a fan of Celtic Music and have been eagerly
awaiting the happy marriage of Celtic music with Christian themes. If you like the Irish rock
and roll flavor of Bothy Band and the angelic voice talent of Celtic Woman, you will be delighted with Four Aflame. It's not that these girls are as good as some of the other Celtic bands with greater name recognition; they're better. They're fresh, they're vibrant, and they play with the passion that makes all the difference." ~Ed Gleason

This is the best Celtic CD I've ever heard!!
Saw the ladies at Lorain Festival. Loved their style and song choices. This is a great CD.
I highly recommend it. These girls have such talent, and from Ohio too! Keep it up ladies.
Great job! Please do another CD soon. ~Jeani

"Delightful and expertly done"
"You girls are lovely! Really lovely. I was very pleasantly surprised - the instrumentation is lovely,
your voices are really darling (sorry if that's a bit silly, but it's the best and most accurate word I can come up with!)
and most of all, your pronunciations and vocal decorations are delightful and expertly done.
I am really, really impressed. Do you ever come to Chicago? I'd love to hear you perform." Elisabeth Blair

"Kudos! A 5 from me. Keep it up"
"I've been singing this song (Jolly Rover) since high school, which was probably before any of you were born.
This is a fine, tightly-knit, well-produced rendition that you should all be proud of.
Kudos! A 5 from me. Keep it up".--Stephen Moore

Hello Havilah, Heather, Abigail, and Tabitha,
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed listening to your music. I borrowed the tape from the UU Coffee House.
I found your music energetic, intense, focused, driving, melodic, and or course rhythmic. Quite inspiring.
I especially like the way you integrate the vocals with the instrumentals - using your voices almost as instruments.
It's beautiful! What a gift you share! I hope to buy a CD or two the next time I see you.
All the best--Susan English

It's magnificent"
"I love the emotion you put into the lyrics. You're not just singing them by rote,
but putting all sorts of vital energy into them.
It's magnificent"-- Elisabeth Blair

Irish & Celtic Podcast (Check out our "Links")
Heard you on the Irish and Celtic music podcast (Lark in the Morning) and was impressed.
I thought you sounded like the Celtic Women. I found your site and was surprised to see that you
are so young. You are all so talented and have time to mature as artists.
Keep playing and you have a lot of potential… Raleigh-

Very fortunate to hear you at Great Lakes Medieval Faire
Great musicianship on your instruments. Good selection of material. Thanks again! ~Andrew Moreland

"So good it kept me listening.."
heard your music on the Irish and Celtic music podcast, I really enjoyed it, you guys sounded great!
It was my first episode listening in, and your song was the first I heard, and because it was so
good it kept me listening. Thanks a lot --Jordan

Really Good!!!
The first impression was astonishment and surprise... Despite common opinion, that there are too many folk musicians nowadays I say - REALLY good musicians are as rare as unicorns. Sidri Cyberdog

I like it -- I'll take a case

I can hear an electric guitar in there, somewhere, I'm sure of it
Over-the-top: Commentary for the modern musician

Heavenly!
This CD is just lovely! The talent which God has given these young women to create captivating music with which to
glorify Him is beautifully displayed in this album. I love the voices of sisters blending
together especially in Doxology. Keep singing for the Lord! --Beth Burnett

Awesome CD. These girls rock!

Listen to the first four songs and you are hooked. The Maidens have great energy and perform beyond their years both
vocally and instrumentally. I also enjoy the wonderful harmonies on Doxology. I'm looking forward to the continued
maturity of their talents on their next CD. --Dean

Excellent performance, amazing talent, uplifting and relaxing.

The CD (Four Aflame) is very well done, I am enjoying it immensely, the music is uplifting and yet peaceful at the
same time. And they sound awesome live. --Jeremy Mantel

Ashland Times Gazette
By JARRED OPATZ: T-G Special Projects Editor

HAYESVILLE -- If you visit Ross and Barbara Justice's home near Hayesville, you're likely to hear music. "Music is playing in our house all the time," said one of their nine children, Heather. What started out kind of like the Von Trapp family of the movie "Sound of Music" as a family of musicians who performed around the area at weddings, nursing homes and fairs has turned into a Celtic band with Heather and three of her sisters.

"It's a lot of fun, and I get to do this with my sisters," Heather said after a rehearsal at the family's home last week. The four sisters, who call themselves Maidens IV, recently recorded a CD, "Four Aflame," that highlights what they call their "fiery" style of Celtic/Irish/folk music.
That "fiery" style also was on display in their first CD, "Charm & Fire," recorded in 2005. That was when the group was called Maidens III because it didn't include the youngest sister, 15-year-old Tabitha, who joined them about a year ago when the three older sisters wanted her guitar-playing skills to make the band even more lively and "fiery."

Actually, the first name of the band was Maidens II. That was when 22-year-old Heather and 23-year-old Havilah broke off from the family group to perform as a violin (Havilah) and voice (Heather) duo in 2003. Heather also plays the bodhran, an Irish drum. At that time, two of their older siblings, freelance artist Rachel, 27, and Josh, 25, who were in the family band were leaning toward other interests and it was the right time to make some musical changes in the family.

By 2005, 19-year-old Abigail came aboard as a viola player.
Even though the three older sisters have completed their home-schooling, they still live at home and so far have made Maidens IV their careers. Tabitha and three younger siblings are being home-schooled by their mother, who taught the girls how to play the violin and was part of the family band. Their father, who teaches at North Central State College in Mansfield, wasn't part of the family band. But the sisters said he likes music and has a good ear for it and lets them know when their sound doesn't sound quite right.
No, the band's name won't change to Maidens V, VI or VII because the three younger siblings are boys.
Their mother said she doesn't mind that the family band, which mostly played classical music, has turned into Maidens IV, a "fiery" Celtic band.
"The girls really like to play the fast-paced style of music they play now," she said.
Mom still gets to be part of the new family band as its sound person. The girls saved money from their performances to buy their own sound system. Their mother also makes their Celtic-style outfits and banners for their performances. And she even helped them find a used van to get them to their performances that the girls have dubbed, "The Maidens Mobile." She doesn't do any sales or promotional work, leaving that for the girls to handle.

The girls also used the money they have saved from performances to make their CDs, which were recorded at a studio in Painesville. They had 1,000 copies of each CD made that they mostly sell at their performances or send out for marketing purposes to help them get jobs. Most places they play prefer to hear their music before hiring them. People also can order CDs from their Web site: www.maidensmusic.com.
Since many of the performances Heather and Havilah did as a duo were at Landolls Mohican Castle for motor-coach tours that visited, they came up with the name Maidens to kind of reflect the Renaissance style of the castle and the music they played, which also involved more traditional Celtic tunes. Not only has the girls' style evolved to more lively Celtic music and high-energy stage performances, it's also developed into more and more songs they have written.

Just as their musical ability has grown, so has their performances, which now include several festivals. They plan to play at festivals in Michigan and Pennsylvania this year. They still perform at weddings, where they will play some classical songs. They actually have performed at several Irish weddings. "We're really excited for this year," Heather said. "We have some good festivals lined up."
They also hope to record more CDs, including one of hymns in their Celtic style. The sisters really have enjoyed the evolution from family band playing mostly classical music to the "fiery" Maidens IV. "When we're in our band, we're so close to our audience," Havilah said. "You can see in their faces that they like it. When you play classical music you seem so far away from the audience." Jarred Opatz can be reached at jopatz@times-gazette.com.

Wonderful
"It is wonderful, beautiful, totally cool, 1,000,000 cheers,
awesome...and did I mention wonderful? Amy W."