Lúnasa - Otherworld (Green Linnet)

Lúnasa are a critically acclaimed, award-winning collection of Irish musicians of great pedigree. Band members have previously worked with such luminaries as the Waterboys, Sharon Shannon and Capercaillie, among others. They play tight, professional and extremely pleasant Irish traditional music. But...

It's becoming a cliché at this stage, but they're not Kíla. There's nothing wrong with what they play, but in the wake of the Kíla-dominated rebirth in trad, Lúnasa say nothing. They're missing the wild spirit, the reckless experimentation - the basic life of the Ó Snodaighs, the Hogans, et al. As a result, Lúnasa will probably continue to win awards and be acclaimed by the critics, but their crossover potential from the fairly restrictive pure trad scene is virtually nil. It's a pity, they are good, but they don't do anything special with their abilities.

by Donnacha DeLong