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KILBRIDE "Sidan" fflach:trad CD263H

The second album by the Kilbride Brothers is a welcome addition to the fiddle driven instrumental music genre. Gerard (violin & viola), Danny (guitar, bass and keyboard) and Bernard (keyboard, violin & viola) Kilbride are accompanied by Tony Williams and Dean Ryan on bass, Jonathan Shorland on flute and oboe and James Moran on bodrhan. Despite the liner notes, written half in Welsh, this, as was their previous recording, is not specifically Welsh music, or even Welsh styled music. For instance, track three, "Bob Bengoch" is a lovely, mysterious tune. The addition of oboe gives it almost a French flavour ( as if it were a toned down bombard). You can even hear hints of American influence in the dance tunes, following their recent tour there. The beginning of "Dafydd" is probably my favourite, a rich chordal string sound and a quirky, crooked tune make for fascinating listening. The liner notes are frustratingly sparse, if beautifully illustrated. The tracks appear to be medleys, but they only list one title per track and no attribution. Never mind, it's spine tingling to listen to those double fiddles. There is often something special about siblings making music together, they seem to be on the same wavelength. With three of them it often borders on the magical.

Elaine Bradtke

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This album was reviewed in Issue 50 of The Living Tradition magazine.