SOLAS Reunion: A Decade of Solas Compass Records *****

"Freewheeling yet respectful' is how Solas's one-time box player, John Williams, sums up their music. It's a fair summary of a band that hammers the bejaysus out of every passing tune and song until each sparkles with its own effervescence.

At Solas's core are a duo of composers and players who, despite their virtuosity, revel in the sizzle of the session. Seamus Egan is a multi-instrumentalist who tosses tunes into the set with an abandon which would be alarming were they not magnificent incantations to the tradition. Winifred Horan, on the other hand, fuses a classical background with such an instinctive feel for Solas's sound that she lures her compadres, pied piper-like, into a densely planted terrain where hers and others' tunes bristle with energy and light.

At the core is a comfort with change. Former members, including the band's original touchstone vocalist, Karan Casey, guitarists John Doyle and Donal Clancy, and box player Williams shimmy around and in between current box player Mick McAuley, guitarist Eamon McElholm and singer, Deirdre Scanlan, as if all were born just for the synchronised swim through the back catalogue that is Reunion.The accompanying feature-length DVD is a treasure of musical high kicks and subtle low whispers. Magnificent from the manic start of Pastures of Plenty to the languid finish, Lament for Frankie, and including a brand new triple-harmonied gem of a song, Reasonland. www.solasmusic.com

Siobhán Long