Album of the Week – Dean Owens ‘Spirit Ridge’
Written by celtic music radio on March 14, 2025
When award-winning Dean Owens launched SPIRIT RIDGE at Celtic Connections in Glasgow he won a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the final song – and no wonder.
This is a deeply personal collection that reflects in a gently dramatic manner his links with lush Italian hills, the US desert states as well as post-industrial Scotland.
For Spirit Ridge, his 12th album, Dean travelled from his native Scotland to record its dozen tracks at Crinale, a 400-year-old farmhouse in the hills of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, which is the land of one of Dean’s ancestors – a lion tamer.
Dean’s celebrated musical collaborations include working with renowned American indie outfit Calexico – and on this album he linked up with the Italian musician and producer, Don Antonio, after they were introduced to each other by Calexico’s John Convertino.
It’s an atmospheric, elegant, authentic album that Dean declares is dedicated to family.
He says: “It’s for those who are long gone, those who’ve recently passed on, those who are here right now and those whose spirits will be forever present in our lives… all around us on Spirit Ridge.”
He will be in conversation with Mike Ritchie on our Album of the Week Show on Saturday at midday.
• ALBUM OF THE WEEK SHOW – Dean Owens with Mike Ritchie – Saturday, March 15, 2025 – at noon.
DEAN OWENS (Photo credit – Mirk_ONE)
