Emer Mayock: Playground

EMER MAYOCK: PLAYGROUND

Emer Mayock: flute, whistles, uilleann pipes, fiddle, cello

Mick Kinsella: harmonica, concertina

Donal Siggins: guitar, bouzouki, mandola, harmonium

Robert Harris: percussion

On the strength of her previous album, "Merry Bits of Timber," Emer Mayock is known primarily as an exceptional flute player. What she demonstrates on this new CD is that she can "do" Lunasa and Calico pretty much all by herself, playing not only flute and whistles, but also uilleann pipes, fiddle, and cello, and do all that with mostly new material composed by herself. And when she plays a traditional tune like the slip jig "Boys of Ballysadare," she comes up with a most unusual way of doing that. Assisted by Donal Siggins, Robert Harris, Mick Kinsella, and a few others, Mayock spins out dazzling "nu-trad" melodies with exotic turns, gorgeous waltzes, Grey Larsen (USA) and Jean-Michel Veillon (Brittany) tunes, as if it were all child's play. Not exactly Irish traditional music perhaps, but lovely music nevertheless. Welcome to Emer's playground.

Rating: *** 1/2

Price: $24.99