Latest CD releases reviewed

JOHNNY MCEVOY
The Essential Johnny McEvoy Dolphin Records
***

One of our more thoughful country music artists marks his 40th anniversary with an eclectic collection that reflects on his career with customary precision and understatement. McEvoy seeks less the spotlight than the shady corner, where light casts shadows across the more obtuse tales of his repertoire. Although at times erring on the side of workmanlike (Runaround Angel), ultimately he manages to tackle a diverse gathering, from Richard Thompson's Waltzing's for Dreamers to the oft-maligned Fields of Athenry with cerebral intensity. At times one itches for a touch more risk-taking, but the sheer diversity of his back-catalogue points at the very least to a musician who's not averse to exploring new terrain - even if he does so with belt and braces rather than a bungee rope.
www.irelandcd.com
Siobhán Long

IAN SMITH & STEPHEN CAMPBELL
Keadue Bar/Oitir An Chéidigh Claddagh Records
****

North-west Donegal's traditional music stock has been rising by stealth lately. Altan, Jimmy and Peter Campbell are just a few of the musicians who've hewn the music from the landscape, stretching its creaking joints and flexing its genteel muscle with ease. Scotsmen Smith and Campbell, long resident on the slopes of Errigal, have assembled a gathering of tunes and songs that speak as much of the spirit of their adopted home place as of their individual musicianship. Interweaving guitar, mandola, fiddle, viola and vocals in between lullabies, reels and songs, including Jock O Hazeldene, they reinvent the old and replenish the new with divine subtlety. An all-star guest list colours and shades, but the laurels are all Smith and Campbell's.
www.keaduebar.com
Siobhán Long