Lakefield
Lakefield,Leahy's second release, is named for the Ontario, Canada,  town where the band members grew up. The nine sisters and brothers deliver  another potent shot of energetic Celtic music on this album. As on their first  release,Leahy, the band  mixes superior traditional fiddling with contemporary pop rhythms and modern  country harmonies. The singing of Denise Leahy and her sisters on songs like  "Borrowed Time" and "A Love Never Known" is pleasant enough in a mainstream,  Nashville sort of way, but it's the band's instrumental abilities that really  set them apart. On tracks like "Seamus," "Mission," and "Leviathan," the band  uses driving fiddles and propulsive tempos to create a new form of Celtic music  that perhaps can best be described as "stadium ceilidh." Leahy's sound may not  appeal to the traditionalist, but their high spirits, danceable tunes, and  instrumental skill will have even the stodgiest purists secretly tapping their  toes.--Michael Simmons