This week's traditional music CDs reviewed

THE LEITRIM EQUATION FEATURING LÚNASA

THE LEITRIM EQUATION Claddagh Records ****

What a double header this is. The product of a fruitful 18-month residency in Leitrim brings Lúnasa together with a host of local musicians, whose vast age spectrum barely holds a candle to the richness of their repertoire. Lúnasa's cerebral arrangements underpin many of the tune sets here. The juxtaposition of Maurice Lennon's spare fiddle solo on his own composition, Master Shanley's Hornpipe, with the trademark bass, fiddle, pipes and flute of Lúnasa on the stately opening set headlined by John McKenna's Jigthat startles in its freshness. Local accents are what thrive here. Tom and Mossie Martin's fiddles on Charlie Lennon's The Leitrim Lilter Reel, and a scattering of tunes newly minted over the past 18 months, are an elegant tribute to the momentum driving Leitrim music into the 21st century. A slow-burning delight. www.claddaghrecords.com