LL25

There are 16 musicians supporting The London Lasses in celebrating their 25 years together on LL25, a generous 14-track album of jigs, reels, marches and songs. They range from the ancient – the blind, fairy-touched harpist and composer Turlough O’Carolan's 17th-century ‘Planxty Thomas Burke’ through to new tune sets from concertina player Edel Fox, flautist Tommy Fitzharris and harpist Michael Rooney. Of the four songs, the standout is singer Bróna McVittie's account of the beautiful ‘Bánchnoic Éireann Ó’ (The Fair Hills of Ireland), which dates from the 1700s, and which is also one of LL25's best tracks. The Lasses’ band leader, Karen Ryan, is also director of the annual Return to London Town Festival of traditional Irish music, and here she sports fiddle, banjo, whistle and mandola, against a shifting combination of pipes, fiddles, concertinas, whistles and more, spinning their ways giddily through these songs. The reels ‘The Leitrim Rover / The Punchbowl’ are suffused with a whispy, otherworldly silvery sheen of strings over pianist Peter Quinn's guiding keys, while singer-songwriter/producer Reg Keating provides two fine songs that hit the spot without resorting to force in ‘The Blackbird of Mullaghmore’ and ‘Sweet Portaferry’. A masterful spirit of ease and mellifluousness is the signature feel on this anniversary celebration.