The Merry Sisters of Fate
Unlike most contemporary Irish bands,Lúnasahas  no singer, preferring instead to focus on purely instrumental music.  But onThe Merry Sisters of Fate, the playing of flautist Kevin  Crawford, fiddler Sean Smyth, and uilleann piper Cillian Vallely is so  lyrical you hardly notice the lack. The three lead players are  supported by guitarist Donogh Hennesy and bassist Trevor Hutchinson,  who create a sound that is rhythmically supple and harmonically complex  while still being deeply rooted in tradition. All members of the band  are topnotch players, but what sets Lúnasa apart from other  Irish bands is the inventiveness of arrangements that skillfully weave  the sounds of such nontraditional instruments as lap steel guitar,  clarinet, and harmonium with the standard flutes, fiddles, and pipes.  The sound that Lúnasa creates is undeniably modern, but they  play these old jigs and reels with a combination of grace and  conviction that will have even the most hidebound purist itching to get  up and dance.--Michael Simmons