Another Country
It's a truism that Irish music was the basis of many of the Appalachian ballads and dance tunes that in turn evolved into country music, so it's only natural that the Chieftains would collaborate with American country stars like Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Don Williams, Chet Atkins, Ricky Skaggs, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on this album. Nelson, Harris, and Williams prove such dominating singers that the Chieftains seem to disappear into the background. A more equal balance is struck with the more instrumentally minded Americans like Skaggs, Atkins, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush, and it's a treat to hear the Irish fiddles and tin whistle floating above Fleck's banjo and Skaggs's mandolin on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." --Geoffrey Himes