Seanachie was a pleasant discovery.

We're not talking about a band with a lot of bells and whistles here. Seanachie, a folk quintet from Calgary in Alberta, Canada, plays and sings simply, purely and very much from the heart. The band's self-produced album, Telling Tales, is a good mix of lively and slow tunes, instrumentals and songs, traditional pieces and original tracks.

The album leads off with "Mormond Braes," a traditional song of happy love lost and Jacobite warmongering, sung by Gordon McCulloch (who added a few lyrics, as well) and providing a nice balance of the band's many talented musicians: McCulloch's deep vocals and steady guitar, Jackie Bell's sweet fiddle and supporting vocals, hard-driving percussion by Robin Tufts, a strong bass line by Bernard Graham, and grand Highland bagpiping from Annie Gray (ending the track with "Duncan the Gauger" and "Jig of Slurs").

McCulloch maintains the pace with another tale, "The Hangman & the Papist," which paints a melancholy portrait of duty clashing with family loyalty, belief conflicting with politics and self-preservation. The singer's passionate voice gives the illusion of a story hurriedly told in a village square or by a tavern fire, with a hint of emotional quaver adding a touch of I-was-there realism. "You Are My Love," a "wee lullaby for Sinead O'Halloran," is a McCulloch original sung with wistful sweetness by Bell. Soft and lyrical, it's a track well-suited for a child or sweetheart.

Gray next takes the lead in "The Jig Set," a lively medley of four pipe tunes including two ("Kelvinhaugh Street Spirits" and "The Starcraft Trip to Glencoe") from Gray's pen. Her spirited skirling is offset by some nice bass work by Graham, fiddle by Bell and percussion by Tufts. She also leads a smashing, mostly traditional set of reels later on in the album. "Te Bheag" is a great love song, hauntingly sung by McCulloch and Bell both ... and made even more touching when you learn that the object of the singer's affections is neither woman nor man ... but a blended Scotch whisky!

Other Seanachie stories include a cynical "Keir Hardie" and the bitter "Go to Hell," both written and sung by McCulloch, the traditional "The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie," sung by Bell, and the traditional "She Moves Through the Fair," which McCulloch sings effectively a cappella, before a jazzy bass, drum and bagpipe riff leads Bell into the toe-tapping Joni Mitchell tune "Urge for Going" and Gray into an original hornpipe, "Shouting at Magpies." (If you want the story behind the title, buy the album and read the liner notes!) Bell also sings the lovely McCulloch reminiscence, "Do You Remember?"

The album ends with an unusual version of "Whiskey in the Jar." This traditional song of highway robbery, lover's treachery and nonsensical choruses ("Whack fall my daddy-o?") gets delightful Seanachie treatment. Starting far too soberly for my taste, I was prepared to dislike this version intensely ... but it kicks into lively overdrive (TWICE!) and quickly won me over, despite the wrong-sounding note ending each chorus on "jar." It even has a few verses I'd never heard before, which is always a treat with a song recorded so often as this one.

Telling Tales is a good, solid album which should please hard-core traditionalists and folk-spirited innovators alike. It's worth searching for, but it's frustratingly hard to find. Your best bet is probably e-mailing the band directly at bellje@cadvision.com, writing to Seanachie at Box 61154, Kensington Postal Outlet, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 456, or checking their Web page for more information.