Latest CD releases reviewed

LUKE KELLY AND THE DUBLINERS

The Best of Luke Kelly Celtic Airs

This double CD, issued on the 20th anniversary year of Luke Kelly's untimely death, is likely to find a dual audience: those who revered him first time round when he burst on to the Dublin folk scene like a full force gale, and those who will be exposed to his visceral vocals for the first time. Kelly's interpretive skills have rarely been matched since he took full possession of a wilfully eclectic mix of songs, from Patrick Kavanagh's Raglan Road to the (formerly) hoary old chestnut, Whiskey in the Jar, fuelled by the fighting sixty nine appetites of The Dubliners. This 31-song collection ably captures the spirit of the man, particularly on the previously unreleased Hand Me Down the Bible. www.irishmusiclicensing.com