Search - Cherish the Ladies :: Threads of Time

Many Talents, Much Music

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 05/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think I've mentioned elsewhere that, despite a purely Polish/Russian heritage I'm really a secret Irish person. Perhaps my ancestors sailed too close to Ireland on the way to Ellis Island. In any case, I love discovering a new source of Irish/Celtic music - even if everyone else has already heard of them. Such is the case with Cherish the Ladies an Irish group that was the bright idea of Mick Maloney and has enjoyed the sponsorship of the Ethnic Folk Arts Center and the National Endowment for the Arts. What made them unusual is that they were the first all-women traditional Irish band. But what makes them good isn't their gender, but their superb musicianship. Led by Joanie Madden on flute and whistle, who has many recordings of her own, the current group includes Mary Coogan (guitar), Mary Rafferty (accordion), Donna Long (piano), Siobhan Egan (fiddle), and Aoife Clancy (vocals).The skills of the group are such that they can shift from slow ballads like 'High Germany' and 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' to the fast an fancy playing of the deft combination of 'Thady Casey's Fancy/The Ladies' Pantalettes/The Monaghan Twig/The Linen.' 'Her Mantle So Green' is a soft instrumental, which Sinead O'Conner sang so often.It's unfair to pick out any performer her as all have their moments and come together easily, finding ways to mix old and new (like 'Lisa's Dream/The Westside Highway'). This is a nicely produced album that focuses on the music making rather than production effects - something that will bear up under repeated listening."