Just One Wish
Aside from being a member of the Irish-American supergroupSolas, Winifred Horan has performed withCherish the Ladiesand the Sharon Shannon Band. She is an All-Ireland champion fiddler and step-dancer. Even so, given her classical training, American upbringing, and especially, her restless creativity, it is not surprising that her first solo project would draw upon a rich assortment of influences. As a violinist, Horan has long since achieved a clear but dusky tone, and her flawless fingering and song-like bowing are set off here by intricate semi-acoustic settings. She wrote most of the tunes, but the set also has two pieces by Solas bandmate and journeyman composerSeamus Egan. Horan's own works owe more to French bal musette, manouche jazz, and Fellini soundtracks than to the Irish countryside. Ultimately, though, she is revealed as that rare roots player who can also make intelligent, personal music outside the traditional arena.--Christina Roden