Otherworld

1	Goodbye Miss Goodavich/Rosie's Reel 2:35
2	The Floating Crowbar/McGlinchey's/The Almost Reel 4:43
3	The Butlers of Glen Avenue/Sliabh Russell/Cathal McConnell's 4:07
4	January Snows/Laura Lynn Cunningham 4:31
5	The Miller of Drohan 3:04
6	Dr. Gilbert/Devils of Dublin/Black Pat's 4:09
7	Autumn Child/Heaton Chapel 4:50
8	Stolen Apples 2:36
9	Taylor Bar, 4am/Ceol Na Mara 3:06
10	Lafferty's/Crock of Gold/Lady Birr/Abbey Reel 4:54
11	O'Carolan's Welcome/Rolling in the Barrel 3:49

Barnes & Noble

Named for a Celtic harvest festival, Lúnasa itself is the bounty stemming from several Irish traditional bands. Two of its members comprised the rhythm section for accordionist Sharon Shannon's band, while another was part of the noted group Moving Cloud. Lúnasa's four members and their guests create Irish traditional music that dazzles with its energy. Playing traditional and original instrumental tunes, the band flies through each track like wind through a green, sunny meadow. The band tweaks the trad formula a bit, using a stand-up double bass and a crisply played acoustic guitar for extra rhythmic muscle. The lead instruments -- which tumble together as they chase the intertwining melodies -- are flutes, pipes, fiddle and occasional uilleann pipes. This predominance of wind instruments adds to the group's effervescence. While the music is definitely Irish, the band distinguishes itself from other trad bands with its fleet-fingered playing, pristine sound, and inventive arrangements. Marty Lipp

All Music Guide

Lúnasa treads a fine line between the strictly traditional approach to Irish music taken by bands like Altan or Cherish the Ladies and the somewhat more progressive approach used by groups like Solas and Déanta. Although the group's instrumental lineup (flute, fiddle, guitar, and bass) is pretty well within the bounds of tradition, their approach to recording is not: on a reel set consisting of "The Butlers of Glen Avenue," "Sliabh Russell," and "Cathal McConnell's," flutist Kevin Crawford is double-tracked on flute and whistle and plays in harmony with guest artist Mike McGoldrick, himself double-tracked on union pipes and low whistle. This setting is typical for Lúnasa (repeated with guest piper John McSherry on the air "January Snows" and Phil Cunningham's "Laura Lynn Cunningham," for example) and it yields a sound that is unique to the group and yet clearly in touch with tradition. Most importantly, it's a very attractive sound, rich and dense but still danceable. Less traditional are the occasional incursions of electric bass, cello, and (believe it or not) flügelhorn. But it's hard to imagine any but the most uptight folkies objecting to the final product. Highly recommended. Rick Anderson