Amg Review

the band solas is based in the u.s., but the members are mostly irish born and all are musicians of the first rank. the leader, seamus egan (flutes, tin whistles, uilleann pipes, guitars, etc.), won a bevy of irish instrumental championships before he was out of his teens, and has since composed some notable film soundtracks, including the brothers mcmullen, which yielded the hit "i will remember you." not surprisingly, solas is one celtic band that understands the meaning of a hook. this 2002 release is a mixed bag of jazzy floor-stompers, power-pop experiments, new age exhalations, and ethereal ballads that make the most of deirdre scanlan's exquisite soprano. winifred horan's fiddling is especially evocative--dusky toned and effortlessly inventive--and the other players are also consistently on their game. however, their contributions are mitigated by intrusive synths and overdubs, which rise to the top of the mixes with crutchlike frequency. --christina roden