Latest releases reviewed

MARTIN DONOHOE Tasty Touches/Blúiríní Blasta Claddagh Records ***

Sweetly delirious. Cavan box player and renaissance man Martin Donohoe revels in the music of his home place, and Tasty Touches/Blúiríní Blasta is the ultimate valentine to the tradition, with one track for each of his 41 years on the planet. Donohoe brings a lightness of touch to an incorrigible mix of tunes, songs and poems, luring a remarkable gathering of musicians to join him as he winds his way along a circuitous path, glorying in every step. His bold pairing of The Boys of the Lough with a garrulous reading of Penguin Cafe Orchestra's Music For a Found Harmonium offers a canny snapshot of his infectiously boisterous personality - at play in the fields with the music. A scattergun of songs dilutes the focus, but the tunes triumph atop Donohoe's impassioned playing. www.tastytouches.com

Siobhán Long