Brian Hughes: The Beat of the Breath

The Athy whistle player brings a largely unfussy clarity to his third solo album. Hughes's clean tone and keen rhythmic sensibility are at their best on the slip jig set, The Boys of Ballysadare , and the pair of jigs, Páidín Ó Raifearta/Sliabh Russell , with sympathetic and subtle accompaniment from Téada's Seán McElwain and Danú's bodhrán player Donnchadh Gough. Hughes's Achilles heel is not as a player, but in his production of the pair of slow airs, Táimse im' Chodladh and Slán Le Máigh , which teeter towards the brink of being overwrought, and would most likely have benefitted from solo renditions. His inclusion of African drums on O'Sullivan's March brings a beautifully languid stillness to the mix. For whistle players and lovers of bare-boned tunes alike, this collection mines a rich seam, well worth exploring.