Cuig Prospect CD

Cúig (Gaelic for five) performed an interesting hybrid of Celtic music with nods to African worldbeat, Motown, and American folk-rock. The five-person act was formed in 1999 around guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Martin Matthews and is supported by the youthful energy of bass player Sean Taylor and percussionist Norman Holmes, with fiddler Paul Ruane and his wife, Deirdre Ruane, on accordion. While the group is clearly not satisfied with the confines of strictly interpreted Celtic music, that thread that runs through the album helps to hold the songs together. The use of fretless bass and dobro provides interesting contrast to many of the releases in Green Linnet's catalog, but these ethnic-fusion hybrid tunes prove to be less successful than the more traditionally rooted ones. Still, it is an impressive debut with what is certain to be even stronger releases to follow. ~ Zac Johnson