Latest releases reviewed

DESSIE KELLIHER Banjoed No label ****
Having inhabited the musical equivalent of Hades for decades, banjo music is enjoying a resurgence in popularity - without even a sniff of a makeover team coming within an ass's roar of the instrument. Opening with a blistering set of tunes, Two Smoking Boots, Kelliher's manic energy sets a pace which, if pursued through to the death, would have sent Banjoed into outer orbit. Instead, he proceeds to slow his own hopping reel to a pace that allows the listener relish its intricacies (Slow Reel), and slips lithely in between his invited guests on bouzouki, guitar, box, pipes and bodhrán. Long-term listeners might still hanker after a touch less mania at times, but this début heralds a hungry talent destined for glory. www.sessionsfromthehearth.com
Siobhán Long

VARIOUS ARTISTS Around The Hills Of Clare Musical Traditions Records ****
This gargantuan collection of 47 songs, accompanied by forensically researched sleeve notes, is a credit to Dublin's Góilín Traditional Singers' Club. Capturing a total of 16 singers when the singing tradition of the region was on the wane, this is a snapshot of stories at risk of being lost forever. The refreshing simplicity of Martin Howley's Golden Glove, the crystalline ornamentation of Nora Cleary's Lord Levett, and Patrick Lynch's hilarious recitation of the Battle Of Billingsgate provide ample evidence of the complexity of the local tradition. Archives seldom come with such a keen ear for the street practitioner or the avid listener. The Góilín Club has served us well with this gathering of characters, each one a testament to the interplay between song, story and sheer chutzpah. www.mtrecords.co.uk. Siobhán Long