PADDY KEENAN & TOMMY O'SULLIVAN: THE LONG GRAZING ACRE
Paddy Keenan: uilleann pipes
Tommy O'Sullivan: guitar, vocals
A new Paddy Keenan CD should be a reason to celebrate, but I must confess being a bit disappointed by this latest offering. Not that Paddy's playing has lost its edge, quite the contrary. He does a great job on the instrumentals, which include several new compositions, some from the time he spent on the set of the movie "Traveller." Paddy also shares the stage here with Tommy O'Sullivan, an guitar player and singer who has recorded previously with Matt Cranitch's band Sliabh Notes. While he is an excellent technician and an expressive performer, O'Sullivan tends to choose contemporary material which, to my ears, doesn't mesh well with the rest of the music. Even when he sings "Maids of Culmore," it doesn't sound anything like the traditional song the Bothy Band recorded in the 1970s. So a bit of a mixed verdict on this one.
Rating: ***
Price: $17.99
Contents:
1. Jigs: The Lost and Found / The Hag at the Churn / The Wind Off the Lake
2. Tunes: Eimhin's / Cahir's Kitchen
3. Song: The Maids of Culmore
4. Reels: O'Rourke's / The Spike Island Lassies / Lord McDonald's
5. Tune: Jutland
6. Jigs: Brother John / The Pavee Jig
7. Song: Stranger to Himself
8. Jigs: Sliabh Russell / The Blarney Pilgrim / The Clare Jig
9. Tune: Mary Bravender
10. Reels: Antara / The Twirly Haired Girl / The Mountain Road
11. Song: Killing the Blues
12. Jigs: Kitty O'Neil's / The Kerry Jig
