This week's World releases reviewed

Crossroads Claddagh ****

There's an embarrassment of riches to be found dancing in Crossroads. This is the much-anticipated latest instalment from the most inventive and charismatic box player in the country, Máirtín O'Connor, in tandem with two longtime compadres, Tyrone fiddle player Cathal Hayden and Sligo guitarist and singer Seamie O'Dowd. Crossroadsis a polymath's dream: laden with incandescent melody lines and irresistible rhythms, guaranteed to dislocate each and every joint that deigns to keep time. O'Connor's original compositions glisten, and Hayden's fiddle traces routes past everyone from Tommy Peoples to Stephane Grappelli. In less hallowed company, Seamie O'Dowd's vocals would solder the tunes more than adequately but here they stall the momentum unnecessarily. A magnificent and magical snapshot of newborn tunes cosying up alongside everything from Handel to the most timeworn traditional pieces – like siblings in a cot. www.oconnorhaydenodowd.com

SIOBHÁN LONG