Wriggle and Writhe

Having recently won both the Best Duo and Best Musician awards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, expectations are running high for this collaboration between two musicians who've long played key support roles in other line-ups. They don't disappoint. Button accordion player and guitarist Tim Edey has forged a formidable reputation based on his contributions to such popular acts as Sharon Shannon, Lúnasa, Mike McGoldrick, Altan and Capercaillie. New Zealand-born Brendan Power, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the finest exponents of the chromatic and diatonic harmonica, with session work including stints with Van Morrison, Paul Brady, Sting, Kate Bush and Christy Moore to his credit.

Each of them has a raft of solo albums on their CVs to boot. So expertise and diversity is almost a given. What you might not necessarily have anticipated, unless you've had the good fortune to see one of their joint gigs, is the sheer exuberance and joy with which this cheery pair lay into their repertoire. This is a collaboration bursting with both passion and virtuosity, reflecting the thrilling spontaneity of their live work. It's not all about speed however, although there's plenty of that on tracks like the opener ‘Celtic Thunder/Kent to Kintail’ and the appropriately serpentine title-track. There's great sensitivity and grace to be found too. They'd surely be the first to admit they're not the world's greatest singers, but this is a terrific record that sweeps aside such minor niggles.