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NUADA
Open the Door For 3 Nuada Music
***

Munster newcomers Nuada are a spunky trio who take few prisoners with their fiddle/ box/banjo combination, although their Achilles heel is revealed in their vocals, which struggle to tackle the intricacies of Mollie Na gCuach Ní Chuilleanáin. Daithí Kearney's banjo is a feisty workhorse, lending a dogged pacing all too often missing from players who get carried away by the instrument's tendency towards breakneck string-picking. Guest percussionist Mel Mercier adds depth and breadth with forensic attention to detail, which bolsters immeasurably Padraig King's box playing. Some predictable tune choices notwithstanding, particularly The Magic Slipper (a Seamus Begley stalwart), Nuada know how to pen a mean tune themselves, as evidenced by the fine set Tom Hanafins Whistle/ Teachers Can't Count/Ryans Hospitality. www.nuadamusic.com - Siobhán Long