Steve Larkin and Mick Kinsella: Steve Larkin and Mick Kinsella – Album Review

Delicate intricacies define this beautiful collection from fiddle player Steve Larkin and harmonica player Mick Kinsella. Fiddle and harmonica make for a companionable pairing, and the duo have chosen tunes that skip headily across their instruments like stones across a glassy pond. Kinsella's harp finds previously unknown shapes in well-known tunes, and his own pair of hornpipes, An Ghaoth sa Bhiabhóg and Cornphíopa Shraith Salach, underscore the impish qualities in his writing. It's in this album's shadowy spaces where he and Larkin thrive, with Larkin's fluid, unforced fiddle playing straight man to Kinsella's flightier, fantastical harmonica. Donal Siggins's accompaniment on mandola, bouzouki and guitar is a masterclass in subtle minimalism . An exceptional collection. claddaghrecords.com