The Los Angeles Times:
"One of the leading voices in Celtic Music."
The Washington Post
"Cathie Ryan, the Irish American singer-songwriter, is blessed with a soprano voice that's both lovely and affecting. It's a potent combination... Ryan's heartfelt songwriting and firm grasp of traditional Celtic music also distinguishes her ...[She sings with] a soulful intensity that bridges her original tunes with traditional gems ..."
Boston Globe
"Cathie Ryan is a thrilling traditional vocalist whose honey-pure soprano is equally at home on probing original ballads about a woman's place in the modern world…. Her singing is simply sublime... "
The Irish Times
"... a songwriter of substance [whose] distinctive soprano has pushed hard at the boundaries of what can often be a watery Celtic twilight song tradition.... a formidable solo performer..."
Nashville City Paper
"any and everyone that enjoys a majestic performer should hear Ryan's music."
Billboard Magazine (starred review)
"Irish American vocalist Cathie Ryan has an enchanting voice, and she sings with both clarity and emotion, bringing a great deal of color and shadow to whatever she undertakes. ... singing with grace and a keen ear for the turn of a phrase; her performance is striking."
The Irish Echo
"... mature, masterful, at times magnificent singing..."
BBC Radio 2
"[Cathie Ryan's] clear voice is equally at home with the lilt of the Gaelic sean nos and the Motown groove of her home city... her own songs have a strength and charm rooted in the combination of these influences, her subjects the histories and lives of real people... Ryan's intimate, quietly passionate voice draws the listener into her world."
Irish American News, Chicago
"Concert of the Year Award. Cathie Ryan, our Female Vocalist of the Decade, is quite simply the best. She and her talented, versatile band give the definitive live Irish music performance."
Hartford Courant
"Cathie Ryan has the soul of a true folksinger and a crystalline voice that turns even simple songs into gems. ...One hears in Ryan the sounds of old and new worlds."
The Irish World, UK
"...you will find it impossible not to be moved by Ryan's voice... The Farthest Wave confirm's Ryan's contribution to Irish music... A beautiful album from a beautiful voice"
New York Times
"Cathie Ryan... moves her richly sympathetic voice between traditional songs and new ones infused with Celtic mystery."
fRoots, UK
"...an outstanding singer.."
Billy Collins, Former U.S. Poet Laureate:
"There is a powerful sweetness in Cathie Ryan's voice, as well as a Celtic intensity that can be felt in all the songs she writes and sings--songs of place, songs of memory, poignant songs of the heart."
New York Daily News
"Ryan is firmly in the upper echelons of Irish music singers"
Click here to read a full length article by Jack Bernhardt of The
News and Observer, (Raleigh, NC) March 11, 2005
