SEAMUS FAY: CAVAN'S LILTER
Seamus Fay: lilting, vocals
Kathleen Fay: lilting
Aoife Murray: lilting, vocals
Catriona Cullivan: lilting
Neill Lyons: bodhran
Trevor Bury: bones, bodhran
Richard Lyons: bodhran
Marian Crowe: dancing

How does a 33-track CD of lilting strike you?... Unusual perhaps, but don't let my attempt at being facetious stop you from reading further. First, although there are indeed 33 tracks on the album, six of them are songs, sung in lovely sean-nos style, two, including an interview by Martin Donohoe, the producer of the 4-CD set "The Musical Heart of Cavan," are spoken, and some of the lilting tracks are rather short, which explains their high number. But more importantly, Seamus Fay is very good at what he does, combining amazing lung power with keen musical sense. In fact, his talent was sanctioned over the years with four All-Ireland titles. Also notable are some lilting duets recorded by Fay and his mother back in the 1970s, and a couple of tracks by Aoife Murray (she also sings a song) and Catriona Cullivan, two younger winners of the All-Ireland title who acknowledge Fay's influence. With some bodhran and a few dance steps added here and there, this makes for quite a varied selection, unusual perhaps, but well worth hearing.

Rating: *** 1/2

Price: $23.99
Our Catalogue 
email me
Contents:
1. Jig: Humours of Ballyloughlin
2. Reels: Crooked Road / The Ladies' Pantalettes
3. Reel: Bill McEvoy's Reel
4. Jigs: Pat Burke's / Fraher's
5. Song: May Morning Dew
6. Jig: Ward's
7. Reels: The Penny Candle / The Fair-Haired Boy
8. Hornpipes: Poll Ha'penny / Garrai na Sailog
9. Jig: Sport
10. Song: Shores of Lough Bran
11. Reels: The Broken Pledge / The Maid of Mitchelstown
12. Jigs: The Bridge over the River Maine / The Hag at the Churn
13. Hornpipes: The Lone Bush / The Wicklow
14. Reel: Paddy Taylor's
15. Song: My Native Land
16. Slip Jig: Whinny Hills of Leitrim
17. Jig: McIntyre's Fancy
18. Reel: The Baltimore Salute
19. Song: Long Expected Comes at Last
20. Set Dance: Fiddler Round the Fairy Tree
21. Jig: Woods of Old Limerick
22. Reel: Miss McCloud's
23. Song: When Two Lovers Meet
24. Set Dance: St. Sinchell's Well
25. Jig: Richard Dwyer's
26. Reel: Gooseberry Bush
27. Jig: Bill Harte's
28. Hornpipe: New Century
29. Reel: Boys of 49
30. Jig: Paddy Taylor's
31. Song: Edward Boyle
32. Spoken: If They're Minded
33. Interview by Martin Donohoe