Love and Laughter from Solas

Kilkenny native Mairead Phelan emerged with her own impressive background as a singer, flute and keyboardist, ready to tackle one of the pre-eminent jobs in the Irish music scene just in time to complete the recording of the latest CD which was already underway.

For Love and Laughter, like the other Solas recordings, captures the present day band of Egan, Horan, McAuley, McElholm and now Phelan like a photographic snapshot for this time and place.

Longtime fans of the band will not be disappointed, and it is quite possible that they can win a number of new fans with this CD which is a really good listen, with 12 tracks that give a full flavor of all the moods and emotions this band can churn out.

The arrangements for the instrumental tracks and backing the vocals are first-rate and reflect the extraordinary diversity of the band and its collective musical acumen that have produced a variety of listening experiences that parallel their earlier catalog.

Multi-instrumentalist Egan gives us "Sunday's Waltz" paired with "Solo Double O," which may not win him any dance music ribbons for timing or tempo but nonetheless are striking melodies that demonstrate his flair for music composition and experimentation.

Horan's evocative and haunting "My Dream of You" takes both the title and inspiration from a novel and the writings of the late Nuala O Faolain who succumbed to cancer earlier this year, allowing Horan to use her classical training in Irish air mode in a remembrance of the Irish writer who touched her life.

She adds powerful sparks and fiddling to her "Tune for Sharon" and "John Riordan's Heels," and also to box player McAuley's offerings on other tracks like "Eoin Bear's Reel and "Hoban's White House," the latter a nod to James Hoban from Kilkenny who designed the White House in D.C.

McElholm's accompanying skills on guitar, piano and vocals deserve recognition as well for the solid underpinning and enhancement of his bandmates.

Phelan makes a very impressive debut here on the album and on the stage shows at ICONS and Sullivan Hall that I witnessed recently. She has great promise for however long she wants to postpone her medical career while traveling the world with Solas.

Solas is attracted to old, new and borrowed songs while giving them a very fresh take, so Phelan will have to tackle a wide range of material. Her vocal command on "Seven Curses," "Mollai na gCuach Ni Chulleanin," "Wounded Huzzar" and Rickie Lee Jones' "Sailor Song" gives ample evidence that she is well able for the task and could very well blossom as a singer of the quality of Casey or Scanlon with more seasoning.

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Nster.com