19th Century Rock n' Roll
mark bricklin | Center Valley, Pa. USA | 01/20/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album by the extremely obscure Dalriada Brothers is a great example of what I call "19th Century Rock n' Roll," meaning it's hard-core, hard-driving, high-energy music, the kind Chuck Berry would have made if he lived in Kerry in 1860 instead in the U.S. in 1960. If you like high-energy traditional groups like Planxty or the Tannahill Weavers or even Sharon Shannon, you will like this album...and it's SO cheap!"
Hidden gem...
Stephen Finley | Lubbock, Texas--a session band hacker | 07/18/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My wife and I run an Irish dance school in the town of a quarter-million or so, and we're always in the market for new tunes for performances, everything from supertraditional to more expansive and cross-genre stuff. This collection--which we found while scouring the shelves of a local used-CD store--is possibly the best traditional CD we have start to finish, and by far the best per dollar. Vocals on a couple of tracks (most are straight instrumentals) may seem a bit silly to some, but all tracks are done with serious panache and an obvious love for the music. Good dancing tempos on both reels and jigs, a nice slip jig, one of the best versions of Farewell to Ireland I ever heard (ditto for Gravelwalk), and some really nice bodhran work (an unfortunate rarity--it really helps to hear the strong beat while you've got the dancers pounding away at the floor). At the price listed here on Amazon, this is an absolute STEAL."