The latest releases reviewed

SESSION A9

Bottlenecks & Armbreakers

Raj Records

****

Supergroups have a tendency to either baffle with bluster or dazzle with brilliance.

Founded by Capercaillie's Charlie McKerron, Session A9 are the Scottish equivalent of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and they have tunes to die for. A quartet of fiddles dominate with a magnificent orchestral sweep.

Tim Edey's melodeon contributions and the mass of original tunes add up to a collection with a finesse that celebrates the devil in the detail. McKerron's own The Real McKay Weddingopens Session A9's hand with a spitfire, while the jazz-tinged Kirstie'sdarkens the tone and brings welcome space to the mix.

Occasionally the percussion threatens to overwhelm the strings, but this is a ferocious collection that poses the question: when it comes to pushing the boundaries, are Scottish traditional musicians much edgier than their Irish counterparts? www.sessiona9.com SIOBHÁN LONG

Download tracks: The Real McKay Wedding, Fionn's

BILLY McCOMISKEY

Outside the Box

Compass Records

****

Irish-America has long struggled to retain an authentic voice, but this collection, the first solo release in a quarter of a century from Brooklyn- born box player Billy McComiskey, is a revelation of wit, verve and

flair that puts paid to any stray notions that the best Irish traditional music is found only

on this side of the Atlantic. McComiskey's resourcefulness is tangible on his own pair of waltzes, The Diamondand Sleepless Nights. Producer John Doyle cannily withdraws his forceful guitar, letting the tunes shimmer with originality and emotional finesse. His handling of Carolan's Planxty Thomas Burkeand Lady Gethinis sublimely light-fingered, as well. This is box playing that exploits the deep trawl of the bellows and the subtlety of its B/C keys with enormous originality. www.compassrecords.com SIOBHÁN LONG

Download tracks: The Grey Fox, Gráinne's Grace