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For a project that features four big names who hold their own, Sharon Shannon (accordion), Frankie Gavin (fiddle), Michael McGoldrick (flutes, whistles), and Jim Murray (acoustic guitar), it’s odd that what made this album for me was Tony Molloy’s bass.  The use of bass is what sets _Tunes_ on a level above your average Celtic album.  Rather than being buried in the background or left out altogether, it stands out as a warming presence, fully incorporated along with the signature Celtic instruments.

The highlight of the album, and one of my favorite songs of the year so far, is the fourth track, “The Road to Corrandulla,” which is pure Celtic funk, thanks again to Molloy’s bass.  The band innovates in other directions as well, including “Summer’s Coming” which infuses jazz elements into fiddle-driven Celtic.  Certainly the big names, like Shannon and McGoldrick, deserve great credit for writing such interesting songs and arrangements, but next time I think Molloy should get his name on the door.

Dan Singleton
May 21, 2005