20th May 2004
"Its' the '& friends' who provide much of the instrumental oomph on this third album by Tim O'Shea: concertina player Barry Magee, who contributes a lovely unaccompanied rendition of O'Carolan's 'Mr. O'Connor' among other solo pieces; Matt Bashford on uilleann pipes, low whistle and clarinet; Ger Culhane on accordion and fiddler Paddy Jones, one of the few remaining students of the legendary Sliabh Luachra fiddle master Padraig O'Keeffe. That said O'Shea's fine solo guitar performance on his own composition 'Feartha Famine' leaves one wishing he'd included more in that vein. The other O'Shea original is an interesting attempt at blending myth and history. His cover of Ron Kavana's 'Reconciliation' is excellent, with Bashford's doubling up on clarinets for an unusual backing".
