This is what good Irish instrumental music sounds like.

Multi-instrumentalist Niamh Ni Charra, formerly of Riverdance, interprets traditional jigs, reels and airs and combines them with her own compositions for a toe-tapping blend of music that pays homage to its roots without being overwhelmed by them. With its mixture of instruments, moods and melodies -- not all of which are Irish or traditional -- On Da Thaobh (From Both Sides) is one aptly named CD.

Ni Charra's two primary instruments are the fiddle and concertina (an accordion-like instrument). Her skill on both is apparent from the opening number, "Rhubarb & Ginger." Beginning with Ni Charra's titular composition, a slightly melancholy fiddle tune that would be at home aboard a 19th-century frigate or in an upscale Dublin pub, the track shifts seamlessly into a series of rapid slip jigs on concertina.

How well you like From Both Sides depends partly on how well you like the concertina pieces. Fast-paced tracks like Ni Charra's reel "Cuil Ui Chorrbui" leave no doubt as to her ability and versatility on the instrument. However, the upbeat sound of the concertina is at odds with the slow, melancholy air "Caoineadh Eoghai Rua," and the concertina solos that take advantage of its playfulness -- "Giulio Regondi/Allegretto No. 4," for example -- remind me irresistibly of circus music. Given the more traditional material surrounding these pieces (to say nothing of my attitude toward clowns), I'm not sure that's a good thing.

But for the most part, it's a pleasure to listen to Ni Chara's vivacious, skillful playing, whether she's interpreting O'Carolan on "Captain O Kane" or fiddling up a storm on her own reel "San Antonio." I dare you to distinguish Ni Charra's compositions from the traditional material without resorting to the liner notes!

Ni Charra's playing is always at the forefront, but it's tastefully, if sparingly, accompanied by guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion. Several lively tracks ("Deoraocht an t-Saighdira," etc.) feature the full ensemble. Brendan Begley lends his deep, sonorous voice to the one vocal track, "An raibh ui ag an gCarraig." Lyrics and translations in the notes reveal that it is a lament for a faithless lover, and both Ni Charra's plaintive fiddle and Begley's stripped vocals adroitly convey that sorrow.

There are a lot more than two sides to this recording, which seems to redefine itself with each new track. Although it may lack a certain overall cohesiveness, Niamh Ni Charra is an artist to watch, and From Both Sides is a CD well worth listening to. No sound effects, new age synthesisers, Celtic Woman commercialism -- just good (mostly) Irish folk music with a lot of intelligence and energy behind it.

[ visit the artist's website ]