Siobhán Long reviews two new releases

BRIAN CONWAY Consider the Source Cló Iar Chonnachta***

Dramatically taking flight from the precision engineering of his 2002 solo debut, First Through the Gate, fiddler Brian Conway infuses his playing these days with a newfound unbridled energy. Attributing much of this verve to a new fiddle, the New Yorker loosens the ties that previously bound him almost slavishly to the playing of his hero, Andy McGann. In particular, Conway's decision to reclaim The Wounded Hussar(a slow air more usually associated with the accordion) is a pulse-stopper. His inclusion of two songs initially surprises, but ultimately they reveal the fiddle as the subtlest conduit for accompaniment, and his bookending of Niamh Parsons's Highland Maryshimmers with equal parts restraint and poignancy. A joyous unveiling of an original and highly charismatic fiddle voice. www.cic.ie  Download tracks: The Eclipse, The Wounded Hussar

THE BOTHY BAND Out of the Wind Into the Sun Mulligan****

For the countless punters too young to remember one of the seminal bands to influence the progress of Irish traditional music, this Compass Records re-release of The Bothy Band's 1977 recording will herald a new dawn. Their musical gene pool is tangible today in the playing of everyone from Altan to Lúnasa, and that rich inheritance glistens in all its original glory on this collection. Granted, at times the recording sounds technically dated, but when you hear Matt Molloy's wide open flute lines wear a pathway through The Maids of Mitchelstown, or Paddy Keenan and Dónal Lunny's forensic excavation of The Blackbirdin its multiple identitied glory (ranging from a air to a set dance and a reel), you're left in no doubt as to why the Bothies left such an indupitable legacy that is still shockingly fresh. www.mulliganrecords.com