Fourmilehouse in Bloomington, MN

One of the most exciting and enjoyable
Celtic
albums of the year is this duet recording by brothers
Alan Kelly
and
John Kelly
, a straight-ahead set of
traditional
tunes played in an equally straight-ahead style on flute and piano accordion (with accompaniment by such illustrious sidemen as guitarist
Arty McGlynn
and bodhran player
John Moloney
). Perhaps because both of their resumes are so impressive (they have played individually with such names as
Niamh Parsons
,
Michael McGoldrick
, and
Sean Keane
), neither musician seems to have much to prove; both play in a manner that keeps ornamentation to a tasteful minimum and tempos are generally moderate, all the better to enjoy gorgeous melodies like
"The Old Road to Garry"
and the melancholy air of
"The Parting Glass."
The interplay between
's bodhran and
's flute on
"Cacus Reel"
is one of the album's many highlights, and when
's accordion jumps in on the transition to
"Lady on the Island,"
the effect is electric.
Fourmilehouse
is full of moments like that one and is very heartily recommended to all fans of
traditional Irish
music. ~ Rick Anderson