Traditional

Paddy & Bridget and Their Great Friends (Pat & Bridget Independent)

There are always a few double-takes when this Tokyo pair, memorably rechristened by Betty McManus of Drumshambo, get stuck into a session in Milltown Malbay. But they've won hearts in that locality, judging by the litany of sessioneers here: P.J. Hayes, Jacky Daly, Michael Tubridy, Ben Lennon, Sean Ryan, Alec Finn, Geraldine Cotter, 83-year-old Gerdie Commane and more. Otherwise known as Isao (flutes/ whistles) and Masako (harp and concertina) Moriyasu, they've recorded in pubs, homes and studios: drowsy, lilting seisiunai, with a fondness for the gentle whinge of an O'Carolan. Isao's accent comes through the breathing and the extraordinary staccato tonguing. Generous, authentic Irish trad, in a world gone stone mad.

- Mic Moroney

Liz Carroll: Lost in the Loop (Green Linnet)

There's some pure magic communicated here through the sweet, energising fiddling of this well-respected Irish-American colleen, her urbanised clarity impregnated by plenty of flavours, from Donegal to Cajun to Cape Breton, at a pell-mell pace and with a gypsyesque, Paganini, bluegrass tilt. Try the endless drift of her own slow reel, See it There, or another tune, Letter to Peter Pan; the slam-lilt of the traditional Drunken Sailor or the stuttering rhythms of her The Ugly Duckling - another of the fiddler's dozen of her own playful, lyrically stimulating compositions. Backed propulsively by guitar, bass, bouzouki and percussion and low-key synth, this would be great material to tour.

- Mic Moroney