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JOANIE MADDEN, BRIAN CONWAY, BILLY MCCOMISKEY AND BRENDAN DOLAN
Pride of New York Compass ****

This quartet of New Yorkers marry an Obama-esque "yes we can" with a cocky "and with some flair". Cherish the Ladies flute player Joanie Madden plays with accordionist Billy McComiskey, fiddler Brian Conway and pianist Brendan Dolan (son of Felix) as if their life depended on it. The reel set, Maud Millar, reeks of the natural amphetamine of the live performance, and Sean McGlynn's Waltzshimmies with a devil-may- care attitude to the hardened arteries that corral tunes to their birthplace. This may be the New York style, but its roots in Galway, Sligo and beyond are thriving on the transatlantic exchange. Even the piano sashays like a strutting peacock. www.compassrecords.com

Download tracks: Slán Le Máigh, Redican’s Mother