John McSherry & Donal O'Connor
Tripswitch
Compass - October 06

God, this is glorious music! From the insistent guitar THRUMMM of the opening march to the hushed religiosity of the closing hidden track, there is nothing not to love about Tripswitch. In a world awash with Celtic everything (Celtic shampoo and conditioner anyone?), it‚s nice to hear the real deal once in a while. And John McSherry (flute and uilleann pipes) and Donal O‚Connor (fiddle and keyboard) are the very real deal. At times you‚ll think you're listening to Lunasa, but this duo lacks the sonic density of that group and there‚s also a sense of excitement about their music that I haven‚t felt from Lunasa for quite some time. Just listen to the relaxed swing of the title track which is perfection itself or take flight to the stunning Johnny Going to Céilí, where the pipes and fiddle are completely seamless. Hats off also to the accompanists who are integral to Tripswitch‚s sound and who are given plenty of room to add their own stamp˜such as on the Austrian jig, Muñeira d'Antón, where guitarists Rubén Bada and Paul McSherry take a full two minutes to establish the tune before they‚re joined by flute and fiddle. Wonderful! Numerous reviewers have already proclaimed this as one of the best Irish records of the year. I can‚t help but agree.

By Richard Thornley

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