The Square Triangle, CRCD02, Four Star Trio. Seldom do we get an album from musicians rooted in "sets" dance neatness, and rarely such interesting repertoire. The Four Star Trio have songwriter Con O'Drisceoil (The Pool Song) on accordion and keys, Pat Ahern guitar/bazouki, Johnny McCarthy fiddle/flute. Variation is their hallmark, with momentary note and technique deviations from the mantra-like pendulation of tunes' paths into by-lanes of unexpected detail. Here is a delicate swing metered by fiddle through polkas, slip jigs, reels, hornpipes and, of course (this is Cork) - slides. Bazouki touch is exquisite on Fitzgerald's; accordion suddenly, appropriately, nudges to the front on Kimmel's; fiddle leads in mysterious yelping on Going For Water; McCarthy builds a wonderful, baroque nostalgia on his flute air Abha An tSulain. O'Drisceoil's comic Miltown Cockroach and St. Finbar songs are rare, deliciously-crafted satire; McCarthy's Banks Of The Lee round out an exceptional collection. Fintan Vallely

Madeleine Peyroux: "Dreamland" (Atlantic) This is the kind of album that snuggles up to you late at night and purrs. Madeleine Peyroux is a young woman from Georgia who has been blessed with a voice that at times echoes Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. This is her first outing and it is mostly a pleasure from start to finish. She sails through a collection of standards, old blues and originals, doing her Billie H. here, her Bessie S. there and her Edith Piaf for good measure. Yet, aside from the obvious stylistic references, there is a distinctive, beguiling innocence about her. The songs come alive in her intimate melancholy phrasing, not least on her own Hey Sweet Man, where Marc Ribot's dobro creates a haunting backdrop. The playing is easy, confident and accomplished, while Peyroux's apprenticeship busking on the streets of Europe is reflected in the sure manner with which she handles the various styles, creating a sepia-toned homage to days and nights of yore. Joe Breen

Mem Shannon: "2nd Blues Album" (Hannibal)

Lest you think Mem Shannon's title for his new album might betray a shortage of inspiration, let's make it clear right now that you would be wrong. Shannon is a cabbie from New Orleans who, with the success of his first album, A Cab Driver's Blues, last year, has been able to devote his energies full-time to his music. Old Men, his hymn-like tribute to the older generation, is filled with moving respect, while Wrong People in Charge is a strong, old-fashioned rant. His voice is a big soft-centre and, coupled with his sweet guitar-playing dexterity, marks Shannon out as a worthy addition to the Crescent City's new generation of outstanding bluesmen. Joe Breen