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MANUS MCGUIRE Fiddlewings Shelly River Music ***

There's a restrained elegance about Fiddlewings. Manus McGuire's previous (and still occasionally current) incarnation as a core member of Buttons and Bows is a tangible presence on this considered collection, but he brings a welcome flightiness to the pace as well. Gillian Boucher's foot percussion adds further to the good humour of the pair of hornpipes, The Halifax Hornpipe and The Good Natured Man, and McGuire's own fluid, unhurried style is ideally suited to his choice of Shetland and Cape Breton tunes, particularly Spencie's Trip to Edinburgh. Manus's own compositions are models of pinprick composition, with his tribute to brother Seamus, Fort Dunree, a gorgeous snapshot of musical generosity. The abundance of piano occasionally jars, tethering the fiddle to a short leash, but such misdemeanours are minor and sporadic. www.manusmcguire.com

Siobhán Long