The latest releases reviewed

THE CHIEFTAINS
Live from Dublin
Sony BMG
****

The sheer ebullience and inventiveness of this live recording is testament to the void that Derek Bell's premature death left in The Chieftains. Of course, there's the usual come all ye we've come to expect from Paddy Molony's compadres (Carlos Nuñez, Anúna, Allison Moorer, Ronnie Drew, The Fleadh Cowboys and Micheál Ó Suilleabháin). But this time round, The Chieftains' heart is beating to a rhythm that's all its own: the haughty opening medley heralded by Brian Ború's March; the triad of pipes on Tá an Coileach ag Fógairt an Lae, and Kevin Conneff's picaresque tell tale, Ellen Brown. Derek Bell's esoteric sensibilities and his unequalled erudition are amply honoured by Caroline Lavelle's harp-led Derek's Tune, composed by Paddy Molony. A tribute both fitting and full. www.irish.com

SOLAS
Waiting for an Echo
Shanachie
****

Philadelphia can claim more than soul music as its own. Seamus Egan, founder member, multi-instrumentalist and all-round renaissance man of traditional music (and then some), stewards yet another gabháil of crystalline tunes from Solas with a scholarly attention to detail. Waiting for an Echo is further evidence of just how edgy Egan & Co are in their musical appetites. Winifred Horan's fiddle continues to weave and tuck between the folds in fascinating ways, particularly on Egan's gorgeous The Ballerina Jig. Equally sublime is her pairing with Mick McAuley's accordion on his own original tune, Doireann's Waltz. Layered and deliciously labyrinthine: tread early and tread often for optimum impact.

www.shanachie.com