The Words That Remain
This recording from the Irish-American group Solas really makes the two national identities mix beautifully. They start with Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty," played as a roaring Irishceili. Later they delve into politics, delivering a strong message over a strangely effective, upbeat musical bed in Peggy Seeger's "Song of Choice." It doesn't hurt that they invited Iris DeMent to share the vocal duties on this track, and she and Solas front singer Karen Casey give this song emotional impact. Guest input also includes banjoist Bela Fleck, some interesting bass work from Chico Huff, and a mixed bag of percussion and drums from John Anthony. But the core group is still deeply involved in the material that they have made a name with. The Irish dance sets still dominate the recording. John Doyle's guitar continues to provide a solid rhythmic bass that usually precludes the need for a drummer (even when they have one); Seamus Egan provides a broad palette of sounds on banjo, flutes, mandolin and percussion; Winifred Horan continues her notable fiddling; and Mick McAuley continues to expand his mastery of the squeezeboxes. Record number three for Solas still finds them on track, with a solid, all-acoustic lineup, a great choice of tunes, and a subtle new bi-directional course toward America and then back to Dublin. --Louis Gibson