It’s hard to conceive of a song that wouldn’t sound gorgeous being sung by Kate Rusby. Delicate and ever so slightly breathy, her voice is a gentle instrument.
Marcas Ó Murchú's long-awaited new album reflects the wide-ranging influences and inspirations Ó Murchú has encountered over the course of his musical life.
Whelan has a lovely style that combines smoothness and fluidity with solid rhythm, and it’s well served by the spare arrangements on his second solo album.
Recorded over two nights in July at Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick, Sharon Shannon’s new live album is one big party piece; every one of the 29 tracks on this double-CD set is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
It’s been a good few years since Dublin-born singer/guitarist Doyle, left the band Solas to pursue an independent career. Nevertheless, Wayward Son is only his second solo album.
Singer Barry Gleeson hails from Artane, Dublin and has been a stalwart of the Góilín singers’ club for many years. His strident rasp might not be the most mellifluous in the world, but it’s strong and confident all the same.
Recorded in his home studio in rural County Kilkenny, Iarla Ó Lionáird’s second solo album has a quiet, introspective feel that stands in contrast to his work with the Afrocelts (formerly the Afro Celt Sound System).
When Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin brought out his debut recording way back in 1976, the idea of playing traditional Irish tunes on solo keyboard was a rather daring one, not to say revolutionary.
Another welcome re-release from Gael Linn, this classic 1977 duo recording by accordionist Jackie Daly and fiddler Séamus Creagh has long been required listening for fans of the Sliabh Luachra style
Born in Washington DC, Lily Neill took up the harp at age nine; five years later she was performing for then-president Bill Clinton and appearing as featured soloist in the premiere of John Cameron’s ‘Missa Celtica’.
Tom Walsh has been a fixture on the Dublin traditional music scene for the past three decades, playing alongside bouzouki player and luthier guitarist Joe Foley in the bands An Beal Bocht and Rattlin’ Strings.
The title of the new recording by this Scottish quintet is appropriate, seeing as it’s only the fourth album they’ve made since their inception in the late '70s.
Former Albion band member Phil Beer serves up a more than generous helping of music on this double CD – one disc of songs and the other of instrumentals.
There’s a delightfully breezy ambience to this album by two veterans of traditional music. Flute player Peter Horan hails from Killavil, Co. Sligo, while fiddler Gerry Harrington was born in Kerry, now lives in Waterford, and favours the Sliabh Luachra style – particularly evident during his solo turn on a pair of hornpipes previously recorded by Sliabh Luachra players Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy.
Colm Gannon’s melodeon-playing father, John Gannon, emigrated in 1959 from Droim in Connemara to Dorchester, near Boston, Massachusetts, where Colm was born and grew up. Now, following four years on the road with Riverdance, Colm is back living in his father’s home place and has just recorded his first solo album. It’s mightily impressive.
Kiltyclogher is a village of about 150 souls on the Leitrim/Fermanagh border. Over the past 80 years or so, it’s been home to a notable cluster of fiddlers: brothers Charlie and Ben Lennon, Ben’s son Maurice Lennon (of Stockton’s Wing fame), Séamus Quinn, Brian Rooney and the late John Gordon, who passed away in 2002, shortly after his contributions to this fascinating CD were recorded.
As you might have already gleaned from the exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin album title, twenty-something piper Martin McCormack doesn't go in for fancy trappings. He's a steady, unpretentious player who likes his ornamentation subtle and his pace on the gentle side.
Altan’s tenth studio album in two decades takes its name from the Bernadette Kiely painting that features on the jacket. The title is appropriate in more ways than one. Over recent years, the band has cleaved to familiar territory. The reason for the retreat to home ground was a brace of new arrivals: Nia (14-month-old daughter of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Dermot Byrne) and Richie (Ciaran Tourish's two-year-old son). Both are honoured with original tunes on this superb CD.
Recorded in 2004 at concerts all over the USA, this live CD is the ninth release from Scottish band Old Blind Dogs, featuring fiddler Jonny Hardie, singer/guitarist/harmonica player Jim Malcolm, Rory Campbell on pipes and low whistle, percussionist Fraser Stone and newest member Aaron Jones (whose excellent duo debut with Claire Mann, Secret Orders, was previously reviewed here) on bouzouki, guitar and bass.
Karan Casey’s last album Distant Shore (2003) was noteworthy for containing her first self-penned number. Buoyed by the enthusiastic response the record garnered, she’s included a larger selection of original compositions on Chasing The Sun, her fourth solo outing.
Reid's rich voice is beautifully set off against spare, elegant accompaniment courtesy of some of the finest musicians on today's Scottish music scene, including accordionist Sandy Brechin, guitarist Frank McLaughlin and the above-mentioned Aaron Jones (who seems to becoming rather ubiquitous) on cittern.
Dublin-born fiddler Paul O’Shaughnessy and Belfast flute player Harry Bradley have both made critically lauded solo albums in addition to performing with high-profile bands like Altan. Their debut album as a duo was occasioned by an invitation to tour in Japan, and we can all be thankful that the opportunity arose: this is one of the finest recordings I’ve heard in years.
Secret Orders is the debut release from the Edinburgh-based duo of Claire Mann (flute, fiddle, whistle and vocals) and Aaron Jones (bouzouki, guitar, bass and vocals). The opening set of reels firmly establishes their excellent instrumental chops, Mann overdubbing flute and fiddle with equal aplomb and Jones anchoring the rhythm section on a beautifully resonant 10-string Sobell bouzouki.
It’s hard to believe that Altiplanos is only the tenth album released by legendary French-Algerian fingerstyle guitarist Pierre Bensusan since his Montreux Festival award-winning 1977 debut. But this master craftsman of the guitar wouldn't dream of committing material to disc without first honing it to perfection: each of the fourteen tracks is a gleaming gem of the composer's art.
This excellent debut album by London-based singer Helen Roche actually came out at the end of last year, but is too good to bypass for reasons of timeliness alone. Roche inherited her love of Irish traditional singing from her Liverpudlian father and grandfather, and has a fine dark reedy voice that comes across beautifully on spare arrangements like those here.
In view of his busy touring schedule with Riverdance, De Dannan and the London Philharmonic among others, it’s hard to imagine how accordionist Luke Daniels manages to find any time for recording – which might explain why his new CD features four lineups captured in four different locations.
As you might guess from the title, this is the third album from Dublin-based traditional group Providence. There’s been a considerable changeover of personnel since the release of their last recording, 2001’s A Fig For A Kiss: only concertina/accordion player Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh and guitarist/bouzouki player Paul Doyle remain, now joined by Troy Bannon on flute and whistle, fiddler Michelle O'Brien, and Cyril O'Donoghue on vocals, bouzouki and guitar
Completing this triumvirate of albums from across the Atlantic is the latest release from Texas-based quartet Beyond The Pale. Their instrumental chops aren’t as strong as they might be however, they more than make up for any deficiencies in that department with superb vocals courtesy of three fine singers.
The title of Mike Rafferty's long-overdue solo debut refers both to this youthful septuagenarian's current age and to the old 78-rpm records that inspired him. A native of Ballinakill, Co. Galway, Rafferty grew up immersed in the East Galway tradition, learning to play both flute and uilleann pipes from his father, Tom 'Barrel' Rafferty.
Following the untimely death of Johnny Cunningham in December 2003, his Celtic Fiddle Festival tour-mates – Kevin Burke, Christian Lemaître and guitarist Ged Foley – were left facing a difficult decision. Thankfully, they decided to proceed as their new album title indicates; and while Cunningham's wit and magnetism are irreplaceable, the young French-Canadian fiddler André Brunet (of the band La Bottine Souriante) makes a fine addition to the group.
Uilleann pipers Billy McCormick and Adrian Jefferies grew up together in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. Now they're living on two different continents – McCormick in Killnaboy, Co. Clare and Jefferies in Brisbane, Australia – but they've teamed up to record this unusual album featuring alternating tracks recorded by each player on his respective home turf.
David Power's done a brilliant job of researching the notes on the tunes for the CD booklet, and one only wishes he'd applied the same thoroughness to displaying his clean, elegant playing in the best possible light: too often, irregular foot thumps and other minor glitches mar the overall effect.
The first in a series of fully remastered re-releases of the entire Seán Ó Riada collection. Recorded in 1969 at a now-legendary concert in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre, the album features Ó Riada together with sean-nós singer Seán Ó Sé, plus the embryonic Chieftains, then performing as Ceoltóirí Chualann.
After eight recordings and 18 years on the road, it's high time the vocal group Anúna released a 'Best Of' compilation. At 21 tracks, however, the CD is far too long, and the fact that most of these run to less than three minutes (in two cases less than two minutes) gives it a bitty, fragmented feel.
This beautiful guitar and bass duet album is a pure pleasure to listen to from start to finish. And when I say ‘duet’, I mean just that. French fretless maestro Alain Genty is a melodic player of the first order, taking the lead as often as not and supplying no mere underpinning but a collaboration in the truest sense of the word.
This album was recorded live at the Cross Keys pub in rural County Antrim. The sound quality improves markedly along the way, with the result that the overall standard could have been raised significantly without undue loss by leaving out the opening two or three of the 16 tracks here. The music itself is excellent, though.
With the great guitarist Arty McGlynn driving the engine, this debut CD could hardly be lacking on the energy front, and it’s a major treat indeed. Messrs O’Connell and Morrow are to be particularly commended for their unusual selection of material.
O’Sullivan is a beautifully clean, precise player, and his use of the regulators for accompanying chords is impeccable, as is his rhythmic sense – particularly on the several Scottish tunes here, which for once have an authentically Highland sound even when played on uilleann pipes.
With the great guitarist Arty McGlynn driving the engine, their debut CD could hardly be lacking on the energy front, and it’s a major treat indeed. Messrs O’Connell and Morrow are to be particularly commended for their unusual selection of material.
Husband and wife team Kevin and Geraldine Gill have been stalwarts of the Cork area bluegrass scene for over twenty years, playing in groups like the Last Chance Bluegrass Band and the Lee Valley String Band – but it’s taken them a while to get round to recording an album as a duo.
The oldest collection of harp music in existence consists of 71 pages copied by Robert ap Huw in 1613 from various sources that have since vanished. Written in a unique tablature (some of which is reproduced in the CD booklet), it’s drawn from the repertoire of cerdd dant, harp music originally brought from Ireland to Wales by the 12th century king Gruffudd ap Cynan. Clare man Paul Dooley has devoted years to the study of this manuscript, and he’s one of the few people to play the old-style metal-strung harp with his fingernails in the style of the medieval harpers.
Dessie Kelliher belongs to the three-note-are-better-than-one school of banjo playing: he can’t resist the urge to throw in triplets and rolls like nobody’s business. But he does it so stylishly that you gladly forgive him any excess of youthful exuberance.
Hailing from Galway, Tyrone and Clare respectively, these three musicians have been playing together in sessions in and around Ennis for a fair few years now. Their music has an easygoing unpretentiousness that’s highly attractive, and they’ve done a nice job of selecting lesser-known material by the likes of Ed Reavy, Paddy Fahey, Bobby Casey and Paddy Kelly – not to mention Keville herself – as well as more widely played tunes.
Never mind the modest title and the dodgy photo on the cover (Darren! Could you not have shaved?). This debut album by Cavan banjo player Darren Maloney is a doozy.
The fourth album by six-piece Roscommon-based group Rig The Jig covers a lot of bases, going through a complete change of style on virtually every track.
Sarah McQuaid rounds up the news from the folk, trad and roots scene for one last time as her tenure as HP’s resident folk columnist draws to a conclusion.
These three musicians share a bracing, muscular approach and have been playing together long enough to achieve a rare sympathy, easing back or surging forward as a solidly cohesive unit.
Written by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill on the death of her husband Art Ó Laoghaire in 1773, the Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire is generally acknowledged to be a masterpiece of Irish-language poetry...
Following a massive remastering project by Harry Bradshaw, Gael Linn has released a collection of some 43 tracks originally issued on 78rpm discs between 1957 and 1961...
2004 was dominated by the Special Committe on the Traditional Arts’ failure to agree on the way forward for traditional music. Elsewhere, the TG4 National Music Awards attracted major attention and Music Network continued to do an estimable job of getting traditional music into new venues around the country.
The chief weakness of this new six-piece South Sligo group is their superabundance of musical talent: with flute, piano accordion, banjo, bouzouki, guitar and bodhrán all competing for attention, the effect is more that of a particularly good session than a band as such.
Each of the 11 tracks represents the germ of a much bigger story, and the themes are major ones: love, bereavement, parenthood, the loss of innocence at childhood’s end, but don’t let that frighten you off; there are plenty of lighter moments as well.
Master craftsmen with nothing to prove, they’re not above turning their capable hands to session chestnuts like ‘The Mountain Road’, but there are some fascinating rarities here, too – notably a beautiful air composed by Shetland fiddler Willie Hunter.
Billed as making his “move from singer/songwriter to guitarist”, Austin Durack’s first album since 1996 houses several fine original songs – including one (‘My Sweet Dream’) that could easily be a new jazz standard in years to come; this writer’s advice to Durack would be to send it off to Dianne Reeves post-haste.
With its ambitious subtitle promising future volumes, this CD has been compiled to benefit the purchase of flutes and the provision of bursaries and master classes for emerging musicians.
As you might expect, the sound and mixing quality falls down on a track or two, but for the most part it’s of an extremely high standard, and there are some real gems here.
I can’t help feeling that at least one token original wouldn’t have gone amiss, but Murphy’s strong, mature voice certainly does a lovely job of bending itself around the selections she’s chosen.
For his fifth solo album, Old Blind Dogs lead singer Jim Malcolm has wisely chosen to go the live route, finally giving those of us who haven’t had the privilege to see him in concert the chance to appreciate what a powerful performer he is.
About the only criticism I could muster up of this excellent recording was that no solo tracks were included; this time round, the fiddle playing sisters Liz and Yvonne Kane filled that gap with one solo set from each sister, highlighting both the slight differences in style and the equal technical mastery that make them such an effective pair.
Its title is apt: as O'Connor demonstrates both with popular session tunes like ‘The Yellow Wattle’ and with such rarities as Peadar Ó Dubhda’s lovely slow air ‘Úr-Chnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte’, he is a player without pretension.
Best known for his work with the band Four Men & A Dog, Gerry O'Connor hails from Garrykennedy, just outside Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. For his third solo album he’s returned to his musical roots, opening with a couple of reels learned in sessions at the Barge Inn in his native village.
This young three-piece got together through the UCC Traditional Music Society, and for their first CD as a band they’ve invited along a plethora of guests, many of them with UCC connections: Johnny Neville of Northcregg, Mel Mercier, Karl Nesbitt, Brian Hanlon, Flor O’Rahilly, plus flute player Michael King (who’s since become a band member proper).
Last week, I was surprised – and rather tickled, if the truth be known – to get a call from Larry Bass, CEO of Screentime ShinAwiL, the production company behind You’re A Star – the third series of which is set to take the headline slot on RTÉ every Sunday night for 17 weeks commencing in November.
West Clare flute player Peadar O’Loughlin made his debut album in 1960 with East Galway fiddler Aggie Whyte; some 40 years later, he recorded a follow-up, Touch Me If You Dare, with another fiddler from the same region – Maeve Donnelly, whom he first met in the 1970s when she was a very young musician.
Just in case you were in any doubt as to the nature of the latest Danú CD, they’ve subtitled it “Irish Traditional Music Solos Played by the Members of Danú”.
Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde is a young singer from Gaoth Dobhair with a pleasantly light, airy voice and an easygoing, conversational way of putting across his material.
Since moving from his native Dublin to the U.S. in 1978, James Kelly has been a member of both Planxty and Patrick Street, not to mention making quite a name in his own right.
Young Shetland fiddler Chris Stout has toured in Ireland and elsewhere as a member of the group Fiddlers’ Bid as well as with Scottish/Latin crossover act Salsa Celtica
Despite a fifteen-years break from the music scene that followed the group’s split in 1985, Ní Mhaoileoin’s acapella training is evident in her sure, solid vocals.
Brother and sister Jim and Damaris Woods met up with singer/songwriter/guitarist Gerry Tully after they moved from their native Luton to the Rath Cairn Gaeltacht in County Meath. Their debut album as a group opens on a confident note with an easily paced set of jigs that showcases the light, deft touch of both Woods siblings. Other instrumental tracks are equally effective, with the tempo kept relaxed and the rhythm solid. Overall, there’s plenty of promise here.
The stately sound that results is eminently suited to the old-style country dances and ballads favoured by Carthy and Kirkpatrick – but there’s nothing stodgy about the bawdy lyrics of some of these songs.
Joe Derrane is honoured by the US National Endowment for the Arts; Shane MacGowan pays tribute to Yeats; plus the usual round-up from around the country.
Unlike its predecessor, 2002’s Prophecy, which emphasised original material, Susan McKeown’s eighth album confines itself to traditional songs. Not that it’s any less adventurous for that.
Unlike its predecessor, 2002’s Prophecy, which emphasised original material, Susan McKeown’s eighth album confines itself to traditional songs. Not that it’s any less adventurous for that.
This album makes for harrowing reading and melancholy listening, but Harte’s strong high tenor and Lunny’s restrained accompaniment carry it off beautifully.
More than 20 years after she first toured Europe with Planxty, Nollaig Casey has finally found time to record this long-overdue solo debut. And a major treat it is, too.
Following in the footsteps of such luminaries as W.B. Yeats, Ray McSharry and Tommie Gorman, western folk heroes Dervish have recently been honoured as Free Men of Sligo.
This Galway-based group takes its name from Amhráin Mhuige Seola, a collection of songs in Irish. The sound leans very much toward the gentler, more ‘classical’ side of trad.
This group of five young musicians have only been together for three years, but you wouldn’t know that from the fully developed, mature sound of their second album...
Back in 1977, English folksinger Peter Bellamy made a recording called ‘The Transports: A Ballad Opera’ that still makes it into lists of great folk albums of all time; just recently, MoJo magazine went so far as to highlight it as one of the ‘Top 100 Recordings of the 20th Century’.
This debut album by Sligo fiddler Philip Duffy contains some of the most informative sleeve notes I’ve ever encountered on a self-release – but that’s by no means all there is to like about it.
Known in Irish music circles as one of the finest producers and accompanists in the business, multi-instrumentalist Garry O Briain has played on over 100 albums, but tends to shun the spotlight himself.
Folk centre with Sarah McQuaid: the forthcoming debut solo album from Nollaig Casey features contributions from such luminaries as Sharon Shannon, Rod Mcvey and Liam Bradley.
Best known for her work in the 1970s and ’80s as lead singer with the group Oisín, Germany-based Ballyfermot native Geraldine MacGowan also has three previous solo albums to her credit.
This quintet of serious young men came together in 2001, by which time its then 23-year-old founder, fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, had already made a trio album..
Filí, amhránaithe and ceoltóirí na héireann member Steve Cooney on the rights of trad acts to travel, get paid… and obtain a cup of tea when playing Dublin castle. Folk Centre with Sarah McQuaid
Sean Tyrrell’s fourth solo CD is a curious hybrid – with seven new and ten previously released tracks, it’s neither an entirely new album nor a compilation per se.
This young singer and piano accordion player from Newcastle is a fine composer of new tunes, as demonstrated on the opening set featuring one jig in honour of Cunningham and another dedicated to Bartlett’s pet parrot.
During the years 1936-39, more than 45,000 individuals from over 50 countries travelled to Spain to volunteer as soldiers in the (ultimately unsuccessful) effort to repel the fascist troops of General Francisco Franco. Pennsylvania-based Appleseed Recordings have now brought out this 17-song collection of songs inspired by the conflict.
During the years 1936-39, more than 45,000 individuals from over 50 countries travelled to Spain to volunteer as soldiers in the (ultimately unsuccessful) effort to repel the fascist troops of General Francisco Franco. Pennsylvania-based Appleseed Recordings have now brought out this 17-song collection of songs inspired by the conflict.
The 20 recordings on this 70-minute CD were made between 1997 and 2001 at the piping festival held each November under the auspices of the Armagh Pipers’ Club.
The brother-and-sister team of Andrew MacNamara on box and Mary MacNamara on concertina have recorded a couple of solo albums apiece, but haven’t recorded together as a duo before.
Twenty-three-year-old multi-instrumentalist Karl Nesbitt’s EP debut does a fine job of showcasing his fluid flute and whistle style, his knack for understated accompaniment on bodhrán, bouzouki and synth, and his gift for composition.
Hailing from the musical hotbed of Corofin, Co. Clare, they’re just 23 and 21 years old respectively, but they swing along like old pros in that easygoing way they do down in Clare.
Damien Dempsey takes two Meteors and then represents Ireland at the London St. Patrick’s day parade..and much more in Folk Centre: the latest folk news, with Sarah McQuaid
Those of us in the trade have long been familiar with Mary McPartlan as a producer, director, PR ace and general impresario. But there was something else about Mary that only a select group of friends and acquaintances knew: the lady can sing.
From the gross-out humour of ‘The Hanky’ and ‘Strict Hygiene’ to ‘The Chimp and the Poodle’, a savage, up-to-the-minute allegory about Bush, Blair and Iraq, there’s plenty to keep any listener chuckling.
This debut EP by the 27-year-old former lead singer with Oige gets off to a brilliant start with ‘Fraser Island’, co-written by McCloskey with Aisleain McGill.
Why the media were wrong in their assessment of Sharon Shannon’s court case; the latest musical venture from producer, director and PR ace, Mary McPartlan, plus the usual round-up of news from the world of folk and traditional music.
Singer, guitarist and bouzouki player Cyril O’Donoghue has taken his time getting round to making his debut solo album, having been touring with one band or another since the late 1970s.
Battlefield Band (no “The” in the name, as their publicists are quick to point out) have been performing together for more than three decades; this is their 20th album for Scotland’s Temple Records.
Ar Scáth a Chéile is a tad more adventurous than their 2000 debut Soundpost and Bridle, delving enthusiastically into tunes from Spain and Brittany as well as some fine original compositions.
This debut recording by young Tyrone-born fiddler Donall Donnelly and singer, guitarist, bouzouki and bodhrán player Brian Hanlon (who also designed the nifty CD jacket) was recorded in Sligo, Cork and Boston.
Scottish band The Tannahill Weavers have been on the go for over thirty years now, and if they’d sounded a tad jaded on their sixteenth album you could have forgiven them. Happily, no such concessions are necessary.
It’s taken this excellent fiddle and flute duo five years to get round to recording an album together, but the long gestation period pays off in the remarkable seamlessness of their sound.
The great Scottish poet, songwriter and folklorist Hamish Henderson died in March of last year, and almost immediately his friends and admirers began making plans for a tribute album.
This third volume in a series of multi-artist homages to über-folkie Pete Seeger differs from its predecessors in that it includes new work by the man himself.
The lyrics on his debut solo album are a revelation, opening up a vanished world in which romance and the supernatural find their way seamlessly into workaday farming and fishing life
Guinan’s songs strike home, and he and the other musicians knit together like a well-loved old jumper, improvising and harmonising with joyous abandon.
The pace is gentle throughout, with soothing tinkly arrangements of classics like ‘Green Grows The Laurel’ and ‘Bonny Light Horseman’ alongside lesser-known songs and tunes; the latter include an unusual jazzy interpretation of Robert Burns’ ‘The Slave’s Lament’, a march written by O’Leary for his newborn son Josef, and the title track co-authored by the two.
Yeah, it’s got posthumous vocals from Kirsty MacColl, post-retirement ones from Sinéad O’Connor, and a Malawian rap artist jamming with a British soul singer on a track remixed by Rupert Christie.
As before, there are songs aplenty in both Irish and English, delivered in Garvey’s magnificent rich baritone and accompanied by him on deftly finger-picked guitar
Like its predecessors, the CD features pure unadulterated solo piping – which is just as well, as any accompaniment would have been rendered superfluous by Mulligan’s adroit use of his instrument’s full range, complete with drones and resonators.
The opening track of Spirit – their first album of new material in nearly four years – reflects that nothing-to-prove status: no newfangled innovations, no showoff virtuoso displays, just four great reels played solidly and with gusto.
As the liner notes inform us: “it was felt that the feel and emotion of the performance more than compensated for the lack of planning a live record.” That’s true, but a bit of editing wouldn’t have gone amiss
Blending traditional rhythms with jazz structures, the nine tracks do a great job of capturing the energy of the onstage interplay between the musicians
Gauthier has a natural Southern twang and a laid-back, conversational singing style that keep the unrelenting gloom of the lyrics from crossing over the line into self-parody.
Produced by Máire Breatnach, their debut CD blends original songs with traditional Irish, Scottish and (oddly enough) Javanese material, all performed with aplomb
This 23-track compilation includes material from five albums recorded during their 1968-1972 heyday, presented in chronological order so that one can trace the band’s musical evolution
No slouch on the fiddle and banjo, Donegal’s Diver also plays guitar, bouzouki, bodhrán, bass, shaker and is a dab hand at writing new tunes, several of which feature on the album
This fascinating album sits down fiddler Séamus Creagh, accordionist Aidan Coffey and guitarist Mick Daly alongside five of their Newfoundland counterparts, to collaborate on tunes from both traditions.
This album by three youngish Londoners of Irish descent is quaintly old-fashioned in its aesthetic, featuring standard session favourites taken at a stately pace, with discreet piano and bouzouki accompaniment
Ryan’s accordion and Peoples’ fiddle mesh gloriously, set off by backing from guitarist Donncha Moynihan, Cyril O’Donoghue on bouzouki, and John Moloney on bodhrán.
Fans of Daly’s many bands will be familiar with his clean, bouncy style of playing; what’s unique here is that the entire album is pure, unaccompanied solo accordion and concertina.
Denis Murphy and his sister Julia Clifford were both students of O’Keeffe, and when the three play as a trio (often with Julia taking the low octave, by way of filling out the sound), the effect is mesmerising.
I’ve always made it a rule in the past never to give a ten out of ten score, but it’s really impossible to rate this album except by saying that it’s a perfect specimen within its class of one.
As an introduction for those unfamiliar with the music, it’s not half bad, with veterans Seán Keane and Charlie Lennon coexisting comfortably with young turks Slide and lesser-known artists like Mary Staunton, Céide and Irish-American singer Cathie Ryan.
This five-piece band hail from Texas and play an eclectic blend of Irish, Scottish, Breton, American, Canadian and original tunes, plus contemporary songs by everyone from Holly Near to Todd Rundgren.
Playing accordion, concertina, flute and whistle with equal facility, she’s evidently absorbed much from her father’s style: both in duet with him and on her own, Rafferty has a relaxed, easygoing confidence rare in Stateside players.
No longer just an interesting crossover concept, they’ve developed into a group of individuals who happen to hail from different continents but share a common vision.
The title is apt, with O’Neill taking a back seat for the most part, preferring to leave the spotlight to the various players who take the lead on the tunes.
Two things shine through here: the affection and respect Toner has for the music, and the corresponding affection and respect in which he’s held by his fellow musicians.
Rather than issue a compilation as such, the delicate-voiced folksinger and songwriter from Barnsley has chosen to revisit and rework material from throughout her career
There are those who would assert that the only thing worse than one accordion is two accordions, but this pair of nimble-fingered players use the full range of their respective instruments to create a glorious-sounding whole
Like nearly all the tracks here, ‘The Princess and the Frog’ was written by Horan, whose fine ear, deft hand and inventive spirit are evident everywhere on the CD
The multi-part harmonies throughout have more in common with Crosby, Stills & Nash or the Byrds than with anything produced in the last few decades, which is no bad thing.
While Thomson’s wispy vocals dominate, the other three women also take turns on the lead and team up for lovely choral arrangements reminiscent of Gaelic mouth music.
The folk and traditional community has been agog with rumours of a row between Facé and Imro. But the signs are that the organisations will be working together now.
Violinist Zöe Conway has moved from classical violin toward a more traditional style, impressing such trad legends as Bill Whelan and Steve Cooney in the process
The piano’s influence in traditional Irish music has often been a malign one, associated chiefly with plodding accompaniment to old-school céilí bands. In Geraldine Cotter’s hands, though, it’s a lively melody instrument, bouncing its way through richly-ornamented hornpipes and reels.
There’s interesting use of flamenco-style handclapping, nifty syncopated rhythms and assorted electronic noises, with traditional and contemporary styles integrated far more seamlessly than on most crossover projects
Listening to the echoing sound, the unbalanced mix and the sounds of tapping feet bleeding in through the microphones, you'd swear you were down in your local dance hall
The break, brief as it was, seems to have done him a power of good. His voice on this recording is lighter, stronger, and more flexible than it's been in years
Unlike the more heavy-handed exponents who give his chosen instrument a bad name, Alan Kelly has a deft, buoyant touch, and his brother's playing provides the ideal counterpoint
It's clear that Switch have a strong belief in what they're doing, and they've got more than enough vocal and songwriting talent to justify their existence
She's a solid, earth-rooted vocalist: the most complex ornamentations and grace notes still land confidently on their intended destination, and the subtle shifts in tempo and dynamics feel somehow imbued with rightness
The two producers seem determined to load the kitchen sink onto every track. It's a pity, because Spillane's lovely gentle voice and real songwriting talent would hold up just fine on their own, given half a chance
With credits on no less than eight albums, Susan McKeown is better known in New York than her native Dublin. Sarah McQuaid hears what we've been missing
McKeown has a wonderfully rich voice, and she isn't afraid to make use of its full range and vibrato - a refreshing change from the little-girl breathiness that's dominated the airwaves of late
It's difficult to know why the two CDs in this set have been packaged together. The second one, the liner notes inform us, was originally a separate album of mostly unaccompanied traditional songs and tunes, recorded in response to requests from fans
“All of Irish history is reflected in our songs”, says Frank Harte, a point well amplified by his new collection, 1798: The First Year of Liberty. Interview: Sarah Mc Quaid
25 years into his
career and with a
new album set to be
followed by a video
documentary of his life
and times, liam o'flynn
is the acknowledged living
master of the uileann pipes.
Interview: Sarah McQUAID.
Pics: Colm Henry
Flute player conor byrne s lineage is a musically illustrious one his two uncles happen to be none other than Christy Moore and Luka Bloom. But, as he tells sarah Mcquaid, he s anxious that his music be judged on its own merits.
When he was with PiL he ate cheese rolls and guzzled vintage wine by the neck in Maxim s of Paris. Having gotten the rock n roll lifestyle out of his system, he literally went underground, working as a driver on the London tube. Now he s back, mining the divine power of music with his latest album, The Celtic Poets. saraH Mcquaid meets the inimitable jah wobble.
Welsh noiseniks
STEREOPHONICS who've just come up with the song title of the year in the shape of "More Life In A Tramp's Vest" have recently been the subject of a frenzied A&R bidding war. Sarah McQuaid finds out more.
From Donegal to London and beyond, altan s breathtaking music continues to win new converts. As the band showcase material from their latest album, Runaway Sunday, at the international headquarters of Virgin Records,
mairiad nm mhaonaigh tells sarah mcquaid:
It s all about letting it rip.
