Fourmilehouse

Alan Kelly has been championing the cause of the much-maligned piano accordion for a few years now, with two solo albums (1997’s Out Of The Blue and 2000’s Mosaic) under his belt, but this is the first recording featuring him in duet with his brother John on flute and tin whistle.

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, swinging effortlessly along with just enough difference of emphasis to avoid an overly-perfect unison.

The tunes on Fourmilehouse are mostly of the session-standard variety, plus a couple of more recent compositions by the likes of Liz Carroll and Billy McComiskey, a hornpipe by Pat Crowley, and several classic tunes written by the late Nenagh accordionist Paddy O’Brien. Alan contributes a nice solo version of ‘The Parting Glass’ treated as a slow air, with Brian McGrath on piano and what sounds like Rod McVey’s organ, although it’s not credited as such, while John gets to strut his stuff on some bouncy reels backed by McGlynn. There’s also a fine banjo-and-box duet featuring McGrath and Alan Kelly on ‘Castletown Connors/Old John’s Jig/The Green Fields of Woodford’.

Somewhat less successful are the two tracks with bouzouki accompaniment: Cyril O’Donoghue is a tasty player, but he lacks McGlynn’s solidity, and his rhythm has a tendency to waver off centre. The album finishes on a high note, though, with McGlynn and various percussion instruments niftily played by Higgins providing a lively intro to one last set of high-energy reels