Rego Irish Records The Irish Music Store

This album of contrasting moods takes its name from one of the world's natural phenomenons the Giant's Causeway in Co. Antrim. It is not just another Irish 'Trad' album, it is more, much much more!! Causeway seamlessly fuses traditional Irish music with Jazz, Blues, Rock and Popular in a very effective and electrifying way. There are nine sets of original tunes and three songs on the album leading off with the title track 'Causeway' which uses a steady, driving melody as the base from which Casey explores jazz and R&B variations on her fiddle. 'Cabbage and Cale', Arty's tribute to the great J.J. Cale, features the adept harmonica playing of Brendan Power to great effect. One of the special bonuses of this album is that it also features for the first time some superb singing by Nollaig, her rendition of the beautiful lullaby 'Seo Leo 'Thoil' is without comparison. The funky base lines and wild fiddling on 'Jack Palance's Reel' frame Arty's Telecaster playing to great effect. The change of pace is introduced with the almost orchestral 'Tr an Ph©arla' with its lush string arrangements. This is followed by the jazzy invocations of 'Rainy Summer' and Nollaig's haunting rendition of the emigration song 'A Str mo Cro'. The groove track 'Comanche Moon', which again owes much to the influences of J.J. Cale, brings the mood back up for a bit of Rock 'n' Roll with 'The Trip to Tokyo'. Nollaig's third song the atmospheric Irish ballad 'Dn na S©ad' showcases her colourful, resonant voice. The cinematic 'Murals' creates a hypnotic mixture of Telecaster, fiddle and Harmonica. The album closes with 'Lios Na Banrona', a baroque style piece, which combines Nollaig's expressive fiddle playing with Arty's unique guitar playing in a fitting finish to this highly satisfying album.