I'm starting to believe that every child born in Ireland is issued an instrument and expected to master it by the time he or she is grown. Danu is yet another such group of phenomenal young musicians to come out of Ireland. The group consists of seven guys from Waterford, Dublin, Tipperary and Donegal, and features Tom Doorley on flutes and low whistle, Eamon Doorley on bouzouki and mandola, Brendan (Benny) McCarthy on button accordion, Jesse Smith on fiddle and viola, Noel Ryan on guitar, Donnchadh Gough on bodhran and uilleann pipes, and Ciaran O Gealbhain on lead vocals.

If you've been to an Irish session, the music can sound like anything from a train wreck to the most exhilarating musical encounter you've ever experienced. On average, half the time is spent with the musicians catching up on what's going on in their lives and the world, then saying "Well, what do you want to play -- I don't know what do you want to play? How about..." (noodling on fiddle) "and then let's play..." (more noodling on fiddle.) If you want the best of a traditional session without the lulls between tunes, this is the album for you. Unfortunately, you'll have to supply your own Guinness as well.

Irish sessions typically consist of traditional music passed down in pub settings, with the occasional new tune that someone has composed, and this album is no exception. Most of the tunes are traditional, with a few originals by Tom, Jesse, Noel and Donnchadh. In addition, several of Danu's members are classically trained, lending an even richer tone to the overall expression. And as talented as the instrumentalists are, Ciaran O Gealbhain is the ideal vocalist for this group. His voice is perfectly folk, fully capable of the dynamics required for both the light-hearted and the sad, wistful love songs. He has an evocatively rich tenor that belies his age on this recording -- he gives the impression he is wiser than his under-30 years would attest.

So while this is yet another group of young musicians from Ireland, the sound is still unique. Their selections of tunes have interesting modality changes, or they lend themselves well to improvisation as the band members change rhythms by playing triplets or holding beats, or by adding embellishments as the tune comes around again. In the medley "The Old Ruined Cottage in the Glen/The Morning Dew/Think Before You Think Before You Speak!/The First Month of Spring," they start with a very slow reel -- almost an air -- and add some beautiful harmonies not normally associated with traditional music. But by the end of the medley, it's a high-energy race to the finish.

These musicians are flawless as they transition from one tune to another in the medleys, often changing tempos as well as instrumentation or building the dynamics by starting with one or two instruments, changing to one or two other instruments, finishing up with all musicians joining in. For instance, in the first cut, "Are You Ready Yet?/The Tailor's Thimble/Donoghue's Reel/I'm Ready Now," it starts off with the flute and some spare guitar picking behind it that gradually becomes a driving beat. Then the fiddle takes over with the guitar maintaining consistency. The flute joins back in, then the button accordion gets added in to the mix, the flute drops out, the bodhran is brought in, the flute comes back in as drone/harmony, until all instruments are playing in a very dynamic finale.

The liner notes are excellent, providing insight into why these tunes and songs caught Danu's fancy, explaining where they first heard them or, in the case of original tunes and songs, why they wrote them. For those of you who like to sing along, all the words to all the songs are included. The Gaelic is not interpreted, but a synopsis of the song's meaning is included. And guest musicians are credited as well.

Danu is the oldest and greatest of the Celtic goddesses, and her followers, the Tuatha de Danaan (the children of Danu) retreated into the hills of Ireland when Christianity conquered the old ways, at which time they became immortal -- the faery folk. Truly, the music of this group is destined to become immortal as well.

- Rambles
written by Alanna Berger
published 1 February 2003

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