CON Ó DRISCEOIL
The Spoons Murder
Claddagh Records

He's the progenitor of a swagload of humorous tales of the unexpected. Con "Fada" Ó Drisceoil, traditional music's very own Cyrano de Bergerac, knows a thing or two about iambic pentameters and quirky quatrains. His is a pen that dallies between scathing critique (such as the blight of the indomitable spoons player, the anti-hero of the title track) and pithy observation, tackling everything from the perilous matter of canine neutering to the toe-chomping, reel-relishing appetite of The Miltown Cockroach. In truth, despite its intrepid wit, this is not a collection for the faint-hearted. Live unaccompanied singing is light years removed from the sterile environment of the studio, and at times songs dissolve into one another, leaving the listener anaesthetised. Still, a must for song collectors and roguish rhymers everywhere. www.pipers.ie