Latest CD releases reviewed

CLAIRE MANN AND AARON JONES
Secret Orders Trad Music Records ****

Every now and again a CD lands, unheralded, and tickles the eardrums in an entirely different way to anything else. Claire Mann and Aaron Jones are the supreme ear ticklers. This Scots-based duo weave flute, fiddle, whistle, bouzouki, guitar, bass and vocals in the kind of intricate patterns that only the true artisan is capable of: cross-stritching their way into nooks of tunes that lesser musicians would have left neglected and forlorn. Secret Orders is a breathtakingly fresh perspective on a rake of Breton, Scots and Irish tunes, alongside filigree readings of a handful of beautiful songs, including Across the Western Ocean. Geography poses no boundaries for this pair, who invite the bouldest harmonica and accordion into the fray, just for the hell of it. www.clairemann.com

Siobhán Long

MICK, LOUISE & MICHELLE MULCAHY
Notes from the Heart Cló Iar Chonnachta ****

If only all cardiac muscles were as resilient as those of the Mulcahy clan. Notes from the Heart is proof-positive that creative genius needs no fancy PR machine to flourish. This is the purest drop, and yet it's bursting with a contemporary inventiveness that guarantees its relevance to neophyte and stalwart alike. These Abbeyfeale Mulcahys are no strangers to the feisty lift of Sliabh Luachra, yet there's a gentility to Michelle's harp, and a fluidity to Louise's flute that hint at a fondness for Clare, where a tincture more light shines and catches the notes. As well as some lovely tunes from Vincent Broderick, Mick lets the box bask deep in the belly of a pair of flings, including The Road to Glounthane. A flawless gem. www.cic.ie Siobhán Long