Serenade

by Mick McAuley

Overview

Mick McAuley and Winifred Horan are two members of Solas, striking out on the side with this duet album. Well, it has their names on it, but Donal Clancy adds plenty of accompaniment on guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin, with Chico Huff on acoustic bass for most of the tracks, and Paul Gurney playing electric bass on one track. They start out quite traditionally with a set of fiery reels that highlights their playing, both as a duo and individually. But although they keep a strong grounding in Irish music, it's just a springboard to their breadth. "The Joyous Waltz" takes Irish music into the sidewalk cafes of Paris, while their gentle version of "After the Gold Rush" soothes. They can play superbly, and the backing is unobtrusive and sympathetic. If there's one drawback to the disc, it's that Horan's overdubbed fiddles sometimes become almost orchestral, rubbing away the raw edge that's part of the fun in the music, and distracts from the earthy pleasures of the record. But that's minor; there's plenty to delight here in the fire of the musicianship and the deep joy and empathy between the players. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	01/10/2006
Label:	Compass
UPC:	0766397441627
Rank:	96448

Tracks

1. Jug of Punch Set: Jug of Punch/The Sleepy Reel/Danny's Favourite ...
2. The Joyous Waltz
3. After the Gold Rush
4. The Ballygar Jigs: The Ballygar Hermitage/Moran's Jig/Jack & Maimie's
5. Serenade
6. The Peerless Hornpipes: Peerless Hornpipe/Interlude/The Brat-Mobile/Pr ...
7. Little Mona Lisa
8. The Chorus Reels: Miss Ramsey's/Hughie Travers'/The Chorus Reel
9. Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
10. A Daisy in December
11. The Caf¿¿ Milou Jigs: The Caf¿¿ Milou/Kinnan & Betty Lou at West ...
12. To Make You Feel My Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mick McAuley   Primary Artist,Vocals,Bodhran,Accordion,Keyboards,Percussion,Low Whistle,Guitar (12 String)
Winifred Horan   Primary Artist,Fiddle,Vocals,Strings
Paul Gurney   Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Chico Huff   Double Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Donal Clancy   Guitar,Bouzouki,Mandolin

Technical Credits

Donal Clancy   Arranger
Jerry Holland   Composer
Neil Young   Composer
Mick McAuley   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Paul Gurney   Mixing,Engineer
Winifred Horan   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Griffin Norman   Design
Traditional   Composer