ISLAND EDDY
Brendan Larrissey: fiddle, viola
Brian Duke: flute, tinwhistle
Jim McKee: guitar, harmonica, vocals
Martin Gavin: bodhran, percussion
with
Arty McGlynn: guitars
Adrian Mantu: cello
Paul Johnson: bass
Bruno Staehelin: percussion
Carol Campbell: vocals
This new band based in Kinvara, Co. Galway, features two well-known instrumentalists: fiddle player Brendan Larrissey, originally from Dundalk, who was a member of the great Galway-based band Arcady with whom he recorded two wonderful CDs in the 1990s, and Co. Roscommon flute player Brian Duke, who performed and recorded with the group Cian alongside concertina player Padraig Rynne during the same period. The two players are well matched and have a lovely, understated sound together, polished but with a spontaneous feel, and with a subtle yet intricate interplay between fiddle and flute, for instance on the first set of reels, "Larry Redican's" and Charlie Lennon's "The Leitrim Lilter." Duke's technical control and range are perhaps more obvious on his solo turn with the air he composed, "Guitar Island." McKee and Gavin able accompaniments fit in well with the easy groove of the two leads. My only issue with the album is the choice of the songs, all written by McKee in an idiom which is not exactly that of traditional song, something which has become a bit of a trend with bands in Ireland lately. While the songs, some of them inspired by McKee's experience in his native Northern Ireland, are appealing in several respects, and the arrangements make effective use of the instrumentalists--indeed, there's some brilliant work by Duke there--I can't help finding it hard to adjust to the stylistic jump, and to McKee's particular vocal timbre, somewhat grunge-rocker-like at times and unduly strained in wider-ranged melodies, all of which makes the songs sound to me terribly out of place. But I realize that may be where my age is showing... (2008)
Rating: *** 1/2
Price: $27.99
