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CÓR THAOBH A' LEITHID Siansaí Claddagh **

Choral music as gaeilge is not for the faint-hearted. Appealing to a niche market, Cór Thaobh a' Leithid gather a gabháil-ful of Donegal songs and attempt to put a contemporary "smacht" or spin on them. To a large extent this works, particularly on the "big" songs, such as Úrchnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte, but there's a fundamental lack of charisma in the collective choral voice. Atop pedestrian and skeletal arrangements (where what could have been a sublime concertina is rendered mundane by a distinct lack of imagination), Cór Thaobh a' Leithid labour over prosaic arrangements of Sláinte na nÉanach, and opt for a harsh opening male choral backdrop to Sliabh a'Liag. Sacrificing subtlety on the altar of ordinariness, Siansaí fails to raise the pulse past waltzing point. SIOBHÁN LONG