Album Review: Le French Album, Liffey Light Orchestra

Liffey Light Orchestra is the brainchild of Irish composer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Egan, who has gathered about him some heavyweight Irish musos, including Philip Begley (bass and synth), Fran Breen (drums) and Anto Drennan (guitar), as well as Tommy Keyes, Wendy Stephens and Ken Tubbert as part of the choir.

What you get are 20 predominantly instrumental tracks, composed and recorded by Egan over several decades in Dublin and Paris. But if you’re expecting an album of Gallic games then try next door, for the French connection comes more by way of window dressing via-the song titles.

Despite the dislocating timespan, it works as a remarkably cohesive whole, and Egan’s reputation as a man who could make his way blindfold through the most intricate arrangement remains intact. Although the ghost of Mike Oldfield is rarely far away, the new album is more crisp and immediate than previous efforts. Nor is there anything as long as the 20-minute ‘The Three Sisters’ on Egan’s 1979 album Island Of Dreams.

That said, Le French Album opens with an 18-minute suite conveniently served as nine bite-sized courses of a highly nutritious musical meal, with the Oldfield-ish ‘Danse Bretonne’ and the thoughtful ‘Deuxieme Reverie’ standing out. On several sections, Egan’s deft Spanish guitar work adds a further dash of seasoning to a heady mix. ‘Ariane’ is appealingly jaunty, and ‘Le Bronx’ could fill dancefloors with Colin Tully’s steamy sax. Drennan’s furious guitar lifts the martial ‘Le Palace’, and he chimes deliciously on ‘Jour d’été’. But there’s different dancing afoot too courtesy of the elegant hornpipe on ‘Le Corsaire’, with John McCullough on flute.

Throughout, one marvels at Egan’s penchant for marrying the right instrument to the musical mood. Le French Album is as satisfying as it is entertaining.

Rating: 8/10