Search - Cherish the Ladies :: The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone

Cherish the Ladies are primarily known for their instrumental skills--nearly every member is a contest-winning musician--so it might come as a bit of a surprise that on The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone, 10 of the 13 tracks are songs. But the assured way with which the band delivers its sweet harmonies on the opening track ("The Broom of Cowdenknowes") proves the Ladies can sing as well as they can play their fiddles, flutes, and accordions. They've invited a host of guest artists to perform with them, including folk singers Luka Bloom, Tom Chapin, Arlo Guthrie, and Pete Seeger; instrumentalists fiddler Brendan Mulvihill, banjo picker Eric Weisberg, and Chieftains member and flautist Matt Molloy; and the legendary Irish balladeers the Clancy Brothers. In a particularly moving gesture, the six band members pay tribute to their families by playing a lovely version of "The Queen of Connemara" accompanied by their fathers and brothers. The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone is a departure from Cherish the Ladies' previous dance-tune-based recordings, but the quality of the singing is so good that you don't miss the jigs and reels. --Michael Simmons