Roots to Rise (Live)

Caught live in the hallowed acoustics of Michigan's fabled The Ark in Ann Arbor, this album by Celtgrass pioneers We Banjo 3 scorches its way through a rollercoaster set, colliding their native Galway heritage with liberal helpings of blistering bluegrass and a telling nod to pop music.

Stevie Wonder's ‘Superstition’ flows seamlessly, cheekily out of old-timer Smokey Joe Miller's ‘Prettiest Little Girl’ with all the crowd-pleasing audacity and aplomb that have made the quartet a firm favourite on the US touring circuit. There is audience noise aplenty here, before, after and during the signature high-octane performances that have become We Banjo 3's trademark. The opening, self-penned ‘Shine On’ – a live favourite making its first appearance on disc here – is greeted with delighted abandon. ‘Puncheon Floor’ has all the inflectious excitability of a hoe-down in full, hooch-powered flow and ‘Marry Me Monday’ is a joyfully baleful amalgam of Irish and American influences. The ebullient ‘Little Liza Jane’ boasts an irresistible singalong chorus. Completists will want to know that ‘John Brown's’, an atmospheric traditional American tune led by Enda Scahill's feisty banjo and Martin Howley's combustible mandolin, is also a new addition to the band's discography Their siblings – Fergal Scahill (fiddle, percussion, vocals) and David Howley (vocals, guitar) – make similarly high-octane contributions.