©All Rights Reserved
20th September 2005

Irish Tenors peddle Sacred
Staff And News Services The London Free Press

Toronto tenor John McDermott is a busy man, even when he's planning to take time off.

The Toronto singer promised himself some down time this year to support worthy causes, play golf and putter around the house. After announcing these plans, McDermott still managed to work on at least three new albums and rejoin the Irish Tenors.

It was about five years ago that the Toronto star was last a Tenor.

He began performing with Irish singers Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan in 1998, after the three were involved in a concert broadcast on PBS-TV. He left in 2000, following the death of his mother, and was replaced by Finbar Wright. McDermott returned recently after Tynan left to build his solo career.

That makes Kearns the constant in the Irish Tenors universe. McDermott is an admirer.

"Anthony Kearns is one of the best singers I've ever heard in my life," says McDermott. "I swear if they ever X-rayed him they'd find two sets of lungs."

Kearns, Wright and McDermott play the John Labatt Centre tonight (Sept. 20) at 8 p.m.

The Irish Tenors' new CD, Sacred (Razor & Tie), also marks McDermott's first recording with the group since rejoining. Sacred covers such inspirational songs as Amazing Grace, Lord of the Dance, the Stevie Wonder-penned My Love, the Gospel standard If I Can Help Somebody, which was popularized by Mahalia Jackson, and the Cat Stevens classic Morning Has Broken.

The IT songbook covers some other familiar ground -- I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen, Danny Boy, My Wild Irish Rose, and Fields of Athenry. The three singers also perform more contemporary pieces including My Heart Will Go On and Fairytale of New York, recorded by Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues.

McDermott says such material is revered the world over.

"There's an honesty and reality about the material. It's all written based on actual events and that's the difference about all Irish and Scots music," he says.

Sacred was produced by the Irish Tenors' long-time musical director Arnie Roth, who has also worked with Charlotte Church, Diana Ross and Art Garfunkel

Another Irish-tied vocal trio, the Celtic Tenors, plays the Grand Theatre on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m.