Fire In The Kitchen
This recording happened more or less by accident while the Chieftains were visiting Canada. At the time, there were "no plans to make a Chieftains recording as such," Paddy Moloney explains in a short introductory note. Canadian musicians came by to visit, and there was a prolonged kitchen party--with the tapes rolling. The Chieftains become accompanists and producers for some very talented fiddlers (the Leahy family, Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster), vocalists (the Rankins, Great Big Sea, Laura Smith, Rita MacNeil, Mary Jane Lamond, the Barra MacNeils family, and the Ennis Sisters), and others. With such a diverse cast, a variety of styles are explored and the quality is comparable with that of the Chieftains' own work. While songs like "My Bonnie" may be familiar, they get distinctive treatment from this crew.--Joe McLellan