A recent release reviewed

DAVID POWER
My Love Is in America Claddagh Records
***

Waterford piper David Power has taken his time before committing himself to the recording studio. The percolation's been slow, and the results are a fine brew of heady dance tunes and slow airs that hint at a musician whose calibre is yet to be fully defined. Considerable rhythmic sensibilities shine through the pairing of hornpipe and set dance, The Standing Abbey and Madame Bonaparte. At times the pace rises manically, yet it's a welcome frenzy that delivers the well-known but rarely recorded Saddle the Pony. Slow airs prosper, too. Mná Bhaile Loch a' Riach is a pristine snapshot of a player who resists the urge to let technique overpower the tune, letting the music dictate the pace. A supple debut with a promise of more to come. www.claddaghrecords.com

Siobhán Long