Tried and true, but essentially tried too often
o dubhthaigh | north rustico, pei, canada | 11/04/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Burke, Cunningham and LeMaitre return with the latest installment of party pieces of Celtic music. Tough part is, with the exception of LeMaitre, we've heard it all before. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the CD and the song selection. It breaks no new ground, other than this one was done in the studio (the others were live, and warts and all, generated more heat).Ged Foley is the accompaniest this outing. Essentially that is what distinguishes this from the other discs in their canon. John McGann and Soig Siberil and Ged Foley are the undercurrents that generate the interest in this series. And frankly, so does Le Maitre, who benefits from presenting material from Brittany that most Celtoids are less familiar with. LeMaitre has been such a tremendously unrecognized talent, particularly in this partnership, that whenever he is given room to stretch, it is a joy. His resume includes tours of duty with Kornog, Den, Archetype and a brilliant solo CD. Recast in this setting, he seems penned in. It is a shame. Perhaps Burke and Cunningham have reached that point in their careers where they have nothing left to prove but their own command. Fair enough. It just never catches fire. Kind of like the Chieftains: venerable, but the days on the edge have sailed into the sunset. A case of Rust Never Sleeps. So, for the completists, it is a worthy addition. If you ever wondered how these artists established their reputation, look elsewhere. This is Celtic music for the green sweater crowd and Silly Wizard nostalgiacs: festival faves, instead of inspired adventures. Hie ye over to Keltia Music and search the catalogue for LeMaitre's other projects and get ready to be blown away."