CD of the Week

Debuts don't come much more spirited and feisty than this. Altan fiddler and all-round black humorist Ciaran Tourish has left plenty of grass growing under his feet while ruminating on the shape and tone of Down the Line. There's ne'er a stray note nor a lazy set to be found lurking in this gritty, effervescent collection - apart from an ill-judged contribution from Paul Brady, which sags not only in the middle, but in the beginning and end, too.

Tourish's fiddle style has never lacked vim or verve, but here he corrals and releases his energies with a microscopic attention to detail. His own compositions are a revelation in both scope and scale: Carlisle Bay Waltz ascends and plummets around its quarry, a Caribbean ode that owes as much of its provenance to the wild swells of the Atlantic as it does to the azure blue of Antigua. Neil Martin's cello and Phil Cunningham's accordion engage in the ultimate two hand approach/avoidance waltz, pursuing and evading one another (and Tourish) with balletic grace. Tourish's low whistle treats the Blasket Island classic, Port Na bPúcaí, with consummate respect, his languid phrasing perfectly pitched to capture the haunting songline of the tune.

With song contributions from Alison Krauss, Tim O'Brien and a gloriously throaty Maura O'Connell (Slán Le Máigh is a standout), this is a collection for song lover and tunesmith alike. Siobhán Long

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