REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

STEVE LARKIN & MICK KINSELLA  - STEVE LARKIN & MICK KINSELLA 
Private Label SLMK001

Irish fiddle and harmonica is a rare combination these days, but Larkin and Kinsella have been on the scene for a while now and it's high time they recorded a CD together. Both have played bit parts with other bands and made recordings along the way, although this is the first album featuring their partnership. It's hard not to focus on Mick's moothie, as fiddlers are ten a penny while Irish harmonica players are at least a penny each, but this really is a duet album so I'll try to be even-handed. Both melody players are delicately backed by Donal Siggins on fretted strings.

Steve Larkin hails from Wexford, and plays in what is probably a cosmopolitan Dublin style - smooth, with great tone and clarity. Steve plays three solo sets - the hornpipe Drunken Sailor and two selections of reels. His eight duets with Mick include reels, jigs, the striking showpiece Coleman's March and the air Aisling Gheal, which works well as a two-hander. Steve and Mick are both master musicians, and it shows in their close collaborations.

Kinsella's solos show off the technique of dropping down a note for ornamentation, pioneered by the late Eddie Clarke from Cavan and perfected by Kiwi maestro Brendan Power. He plays two solos: the reels The Green Mountain and Molly Bawn, plus a pair of his own hornpipes. The moothie is powerful on its own, and even better with the fiddle which evens out the flow without detracting from the rhythmic blow and draw of Mick's breath. Except for one or two recent compositions, everything here is firmly traditional and there's an unvarnished authenticity to the music. Larkin and Kinsella finish with a deft translation of the cheesy Maids Of Mitchelstown and The Ladies' Pantalettes, a powerful pair of reels to round off a great CD.

Alex Monaghan