Damp in the Attic

 

I was... flyin’ it

 

Magnetic Music MMR CD 701; 57 minutes; 1999

 

Many thumbs up to the recent album by Damp in the Attic, a band made of Ennis stalwarts P. J. King (accordion), Martin Murray (fiddle, mandolin), and Cyril O'Donoghue (bouzouki, vocals, guitar), with guest Colm Murphy (bodhrán).

 

Very nice stuff, especially the instrumentals, although O'Donoghue does a very decent job on songs like Glencoe, Dobbin’s Flowery Vale, and Lovely Willie. Martin Murray is not quite as impressive a fiddler as he is a mandolin and banjo player, his tone being a bit harsh; but the combination with King's accordion works well.

 

The selection of tunes is very interesting too. As Siobhán Peoples puts it in the intro, "The only fault I have [with the album] is there's too many tunes to add to my 'must learn list'."

 

It's pretty much all traditional, except for a few new compositions (very much in traditional style though)--the reel "Damp in the Attic" composed by King is fantastic--and one track of French Canadian tunes which sound very Irish in fact.

 

I'd say this one is for the "must have" list.

 


 

This review by Philippe Varlet was originally written for his Celtic Grooves Newsletter and appears here by kind permission of the author.

 

For more information about Magnetic Music visit www.magnetic-music.com.

 


 

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