One surprise experienced was how good a fiddler Shannon is. You would think that with this much ground to cover, there would be some slippage. You might expect that ambition would overtake her - not the case here. The traditional instruments blend is nearly seamless with the variety of world beats. The horns meld with the accordion giving a real sense of joy, uplift, and laid back reggae punctuation.
Nothing overwhelms anything else and it all works.
Shannon, who did most of the arrangements for the tunes, makes them her own. She sh ows that world music has made an impact in quaint auld Ireland or at least on the younger generation that Shannon represents. The notion of the ensemble is real a key to the success of this album. While Shannon shines on her solos, she seems quite content to play within the unit and let the songs speak for themselves. She has taken some chances and has pretty much won all bets.