Live in Palma
Dervish's music  was born in countless pub sessions and house parties in County Sligo in Ireland.  OnLive in Palma, recorded in Spain in 1997, the band members bring the  intimacy and electricity of those informal gatherings to CD. Accordionist Shane  Mitchell, flautist Liam Kelly, and fiddler Shane McAleer form the melodic heart  of the band, and they negotiate the twists and turns of the liveliest reel with  aplomb. Mandolin player Brian McDonagh and bouzouki player Michael Holmes  provide the driving but still sprightly rhythm, and on selections like "The Trip  to Sligo" and "The World's End," they create a complex harmonic framework that  is contemporary but still rooted in the old traditions. But as good as the  instrumentalists are, the star of the show is vocalist Cathy Jordan, who sings  in both Gaelic and English. Her specialty is love songs, and the selections  include "Ar Éirinn ní Neosfaiin Cé Hí," a rare ballad that turns out happily;  "Edward by Lough Éirn's Shore," a tragic song that gets a lovely a cappella  reading; and "Sheila Nee Iyer," a funny tune about a pompous suitor whose  high-flown language drives away the girl he is pursuing. Dervish are one of the  finest traditional Irish bands to emerge from the 1990s, andLive in  Palmashows them at their very best.--Michael Simmons