Latest CD releases reviewed.

DOIMNIC MAC GHIOLLA BHRÍDE
Saol Na Suailce Claddagh Records
***

Young sean-nós singers are appearing out of the woodwork with alarming regularity. Mac Giolla Bhríde is a Gweedore singer with a family history linked to the song tradition of his home place. His début glistens with quiet confidence and an appetite that accommodates tradition and innovation in equal measure. Taking possession of the Tory Island song of love and adultery, Ag An Phobail Dé Domhnaigh, and letting it breathe free with a minimum of vocal embellishments, Mac Giolla Bhríde displays an equal facility for accompanied singing, as opener Seachrán Charn tSiail proves. Judicious tinctures of accordion, whistle, pipes, mandolin and concertina will lure listeners with an allergy to unadorned sean-nós. A genteel gathering, reeking of soft northern sensibilities.  www.claddaghrecords.com

Siobhán Long