CATHERINE McEVOY, CAOIMHIN O'RAGHALLAIGH, MICHEAL O'RAGHALLAIGH: COMB YOUR HAIR AND CURL IT
Catherine McEvoy: flute
Caoimhin O' Raghallaigh: fiddle
Micheal O'Raghallaigh: concertina

This magnificent album, one of the very top Irish CDs of 2010 in my book, features three of the best--and most recorded, as the list of related albums below shows--players in Ireland today. Catherine McEvoy, originally from Birmingham UK, is one of the finest exponents of the Sligo-Roscommon style of flute playing, and has several highly rated solo and duet recordings to her credit. Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh has a light and magical touch on the fiddle, and recorded with piper Mick O'Brien what many consider one of the best albums of Irish music ever made, "Kitty Lie Over." Micheal O'Raghallaigh's powerful concertina playing, a prominent feature of the sound of the group Providence for several years, is harmonically rich, rhythmically rock solid, and ever so tasteful melodically. Together, they play tightly without obscuring individual expression, weaving a rich tapestry of sound that makes each new tune sound more gorgeous than the previous one. Their selection of material favors fairly well known tunes rather than esoteric ones, but they always manage to make their settings sound timeless and original at the same time. If there is one aspect of the recording that I might find fault with, it's the fact that Micheal's concertina tends to overwhelm the other instruments at times--although another way to see it is that the instruments blend so well that it makes it hard to tell who is doing what. You must like concertina to enjoy this, but that's not a problem for this reviewer. It may be worth noting that this is one among quite a few recently released recordings where no accompaniment instruments were used--and are not missed in the slightest thanks to the superlative musicianship of the players involved.

Rating: **** 1/2

Price: $19.99Recommended
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Contents:
1. Reels: Boys of the Lough / Devils of Dublin / Reel with the Beryl
2. Hop Jigs: The Foxhunter's / Comb Your Hair and Curl It
3. Reels: Throw It Across the Road / Maid in the CHerry Tree / Jenny Picking Cockles
4. Jigs: I Buried my Wife and Danced on Top of Her / Petticoat Loose
5. Reels: Navvy on the Shore / Glen of Aherlow / Dublin Porter / Pinch of Snuff
6. Polkas: Roosky Polka / McDonagh's
7. Reels: The Tinker's Stick / Sunny Banks / The Virginia
8. Jigs: Mrs Galvin's / The Legacy
9. Hornpipe, Jig, March: An Buachaill Dreoite / Mairseail Ui Shuilleabhain
10. Slides: Cronin's / O'Keeffe's / Dawley's Delight
11. Reels: John Kelly's College Groves / Maids of Galway / The Templehouse
12. Jigs: John O'Mahony's / Pride of the West / The Pullet That Wants the Cock
13. Barndances: Mary Brennan's Favourite / Follow Me Down to Carlow / Fowler on the Moor
14. Reels: Larkin's Beehive / Road to Lisdoonvarna / The Dash to Portobello
See also:
     Catherine McEvoy: Traditional Flute Music in the Sligo-
                   Roscommon Style
       Catherine McEvoy: The Home Ruler
     Catherine & John McEvoy: The Kilmore Fancy
       Catherine McEvoy & al: The Tocane Concerts
       Catherine McEvoy & al: The Flute Players of Roscommon Vol. 1
     Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh & Mick O'Brien: Kitty Lie Over
       Micheal O'Raghallaigh: The Nervous Man
       Micheal O'Raghallaigh: Inside Out