Egan Recordings

Solas
Solas
Shanachie 78002 (1996)
Altan, Trian, and now Solas. Among the top tier of Irish traditional groups, they all proceed from the same winning formula: several of the top instrumentalists in Irish music, a singer equally brilliant in Irish and English, a million joules of energy, and a catchy Gaelic name.
Solas, the youngest of these powerhouse groups, recently put out their debut album, which marries traditional sensibilities with a decidedly youthful touch. Entirely acoustic (except for the occasional, often unnecessary, synthesizer swoosh), the album nonetheless smacks of rock and roll in the wild abandon of its players and in the percussive and propulsive riffs laid down by guitarist John Doyle. Acting as drone, percussion and harmony in one tight package, Doyle's playing may be the most distinctive thing about Solas's instrumental approach. But he's rivalled by Winifred Horan's confident fiddling, John Williams's squeezebox mastery, and Seamus Egan's powerful playing of several instruments. Those who know Egan's multi-instrumental career will not be surprised that he concentrates on the flute. However, his banjo, whistles, mandolin and uillean pipes are all dusted off occasionally to round out various of the tunes and song arrangements.

The album's instrumental high point is the set "Toss the Feathers," in which Horan's fiddle, Williams's concertina, and Egan's flute take turns leading tunes until the three musicians together (Williams on accordion this time) take on the title reel. "Flowing Bowls" - another set of reels - tears out all the stops, with fiddle, flute and accordion going mad while Doyle's controlled but explosive guitar accompaniment barrels ahead. "Stan Chapman," apparently named for the Antigonish fiddler, is a set of jigs that bounces along at a comparatively leisurely pace, as do the other two sets of jigs. For lovers of even slower music, there are a few gentler moments, like an unnamed air played by Egan and Horan with quiet strength.
Singer Karan Casey is another terrific asset to Solas' sound. Her clear high voice is a very appealing instrument for both Gaelic and English songs, and she can handle both the melancholy tones of "I Wonder What is Keeping My True Love This Night" and the merry strains of "Nil Na La" with equal ease. Her songs are mostly well-known folk material arranged anew. A jaunty, jazz version of "Johnny's Gone for a Soldier" makes for a strange contrast with the morose lyrics, but for the most part the arrangements are both fresh and true to the songs. "The Newry Highwayman," one of my favorite ballads, is given a particularly fine and spirited treatment, sporting a melody I haven't heard before.

When I asked Egan to tell me about his new band, he corrected me. To him, they're they're just "the band." For high-energy Irish music, they may prove to be "the band" as well.
- Steve Winick
(Philadelphia, PA)

Seamus Egan
When Juniper Sleeps
Shanachie 79097 (1996)
Irish-American multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan shows a growing maturity and depth in this resonant collection of contemporary music based in Irish tradition. Although he can still burn the frets off a tenor banjo - and on one cut here he does - much of this CD is on the quieter side, featuring rich and elegant arrangements led by his flute, low whistle, and nylon-string guitar. Two of Egan's regular bandmates, fiddler Winifred Horan and guitarist John Doyle, are joined by a first-rate ensemble that adds cello, keyboards, bass, and percussion for a modern sound that is reminiscent in places of some of the later work of Moving Hearts. For example, he turns the fiddle reel "Mason's Apron" into a synchopated guitar dance, while "Farewell to Glasgow" is an aching slow lament on flute. Six of the 13 tracks are Egan compositions, while most others are his arrangements of traditional tunes. Parts of this collection were used in the soundtrack of the movie The Brothers McMullen. All of it is lovely.
- Tom Nelligan
(Waltham, MA)

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