Solas Live

Solas is John Doyle, Winifred Horan, Karan Casey, Mick McAuley and Seamus Eagan--the best Irish traditional band to ever surface in the U.S. They're seen here in performance at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, Vermont. For fans of Irish music, this item is a must. The audio and video qualities are excellent, the venue is well-chosen and the music is simply brilliant. Interspersed throughout the concert footage are sound bites with each band member, recorded during a rehearsal session in New York City. It's the virtuoso performance of Solas, however, that rules the video. They play all manner of music: jigs, reels, laments--they even cover Woody Guthrie's "Pastures Of Plenty." Lead vocalist Karan Casey has a plaintive, contralto voice that wrings every ounce of sentiment from a song. Horan's violin work matches anything I've heard from an Irish fiddler, while Eagan's flute playing really puts him in a class alone. Fluent guitar from Doyle and the awesome dexterity and skill of button accordion boss McAuley make Solas as powerful an instrumental quartet as Irish traditional music has ever produced. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (P. Van Vleck)