Blimey.
This comes roaring out of the blocks at a rare ol' pace and barely stops for
breath during the entire duration of the album. Then again, Manchester's Mr
McGoldrick is clearly a man in a hurry. He needs to be with the numerous
different projects demanding his multifarious skills, from Lunasa to sessions
for every Irish album in christendom. The 2001 Radio 2 folk instrumentalist of
the year duly delivers a full exhibition of his dazzling and flowing
repertoire, through whistle, pipes, bodhran and flute (the natural way he makes
it all sound so easy is the real killer). But this time, egged on by the
audacious piping of one of the most dynamic of the current breed, John
McSherry, you get the feeling this album touches the very heart and core values
of what McGoldrick is about. There's some heavyweight talent among the
supporting cast, too, including Dezi Donnelly and Aidan O'Rourke on fiddle,
Manus Lunny on bouzouki and guitar, Paul McSherry on guitar and even a cameo appearance
by Donald Shaw of Capercaillie, also a co-producer with the two main
attractions. Together they exude that rare ability to switch mood and tempo at
the merest nod, maintaining all the spirit and atmosphere of a bar session
within a studio structure. Many have tried, most have failed and it's perhaps
no exaggeration to say the whole thing elevates them into the realms of modern
inheritors of the mantle provided by the greats in Irish music. There are
plenty of outstanding Celtic bands around right now, from Kila and Lunasa to
Dervish, Danu and Old Blind Dogs, but the two Macs display the instinctive
character to make this a benchmark selection of tunes--covering the whole range
of jigs and reels and beyond--in its own right. A dip into Pierre Bensusan
here, a nod to Liz Carroll there, but otherwise it's down the line traditional
Irish music played with both passion and guile. Phew, what a scorcher.
Colin Irwin, october
2001.
© fRoots Magazine all rights
reserved
Here's a dream team for you: flutist Michael McGoldrick and piper
John McSherry, both of them founding members of the great trad band Lunasa and
both of them world-class players in the traditional style who nevertheless
don't mind tweaking tradition once in a while. The wooden flute and the Uillean
pipes are a lovely combination: Whereas the Scottish highland pipes are a
battle cry, the Uillean pipes are a mournful wail, and their sound blends
beautifully with the throaty, woody tone of the Irish flute. McGoldrick and
McSherry make the most of that compatibility on this wonderful album, whether
galloping headlong through thrilling sets of reels ("Farewell to
Connaught," "John Nee's") or echoing each other plaintively on a
lament like "Doinna." On several tracks they abandon their primary
instruments to play the tin whistle in joyful unison, as they do on the
excellent "Donald Blue/Ornette's Trip to Belfast" set (which also
features a strange and wonderful guitar solo by Andrew White). Highly recommended
to fans of old and new Irish music alike.
1. Farewell to
Connaught
2. Rolling Waves
3. Doinna
4. Ornette's
Trip to Belfast
5. Lucy
Campbell's
6. Lady Lane
7. Trip to
Ireland
8. The Bloom of
Youth
9. Lacey's Jig
10. The Graf
Spee
11. Road to
Taynuilt
Michael McGoldrick: Flutes,
whistles, pipes.
John McSherry: Pipes,
whistles.
Paul McSherry: Guitar.
Andrew White: Guitar.
Ed Boyd: Guitar.
Manny Lunny: Bouzouki.
Dezi Donnelly: Fiddle.
Aidan O'Rourke: Fiddle.
Donald Shaw: Keyboards.
Ewen Vernal: Bass.
pass: terrenosdenylon
