The first track of Rowan's debut album, Grandfather's Horse, is "Jig of Slurs." It's a fast tune and, while I can't say the band plays it faster than I've heard it played many times before, this version has a wild kind of urgency to it -- as if the instruments were too hot to hold for very long.

It's a good introduction to Rowan, a four-piece acoustic band based in the Wichita, Kansas area. These Celtic musicians don't slow down very much -- but unfortunately, when they do, you usually wish they hadn't.

Rowan is Anne Crane (6- and 12-string guitars, whistle, flute, vocals), Doug Harvey (cittern, whistle, tenor banjo, 12-string guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals), Dean Karres (bodhran, whistle, low whistle, percussion, vocals) and Lance Zimmerman (fiddle, vocals). They all seem to have boundless energy, as you'll learn if you try to keep up with their renditions of "New Rigged Ship/Cooley's," "Earl's Chair/Clumsy Lover," "Basket of Turf/Dusty Windowsill," "Reckless Pitchfork" and more.

"One Stick" is a bodhran solo -- an unusual concept! -- which will blow drum enthusiasts away. It gallops directly into "Grandfather's Horse," another lively instrumental mix.

I could rave endlessly about the band if there was nothing but lightning-fast instrumental sets to consider. But Rowan opted to include a few ill-chosen vocal tracks, and the likes of "Road to Nowhere," "The Songs That Don't End" and "Saucy Sailor" had me reaching for the stereo to skip forward to more of the good stuff. It's not that their arrangements are bad or that the original songs are flawed in any way -- unfortunately, the band doesn't boast any particularly strong singers.

I wouldn't write them off vocally, however; there are some bright spots, such as the band's take on the traditional "Carrickfergus." Crane's vocals are at their peak here, Harvey's vocal harmonies behind her blend nicely into the song, and the instrumental arrangements prove the band isn't limited to fast tracks only. The livelier "Thousands Are Sailing" also shows promise in its four-part vocal harmonies.

I have high hopes for the next release from this band. If Rowan can polish up its vocal act, it'll go far -- the musicianship of the band's four members is excellent enough to carry them far indeed.