Lost In The Loop

If only reviews could rest at this: astounding. Listen to Lost In The Loop as it rises storeys above anything else that's been released in the past year, and wonder at its majesty, its sheer dexterity. Liz Carroll, child of Chicago (by way of Limerick and Offaly) has been long overdue a few sessions in the studio. It's over a decade since her last album, but she clearly hasn't let too long a distance develop between herself and the fiddle in the meantime.

Of course, she keeps the best of company, too. Lassoing Solas' Seamus Egan in for production duties, she gathers round her a sparkling collection of the best players on any block. John Doyle on guitar, Zan McLeod on bouzouki, Jackie Moran and Egan on percussion, and Chico Huff on bass.

That much-hackneyed word, virtuoso is unavoidable. Carroll's wonderfully throaty, earthy sound will find no match. Like Martin Hayes, Carroll's playing has nothing to prove, no raffish laurels to chase. Her maturity and confidence in both style and substance are invigorating.

If you've ever wondered what traditional music was all about, well, stop your meandering right here. Liz Carroll holds the old and the new in the palm of her hand.