BACKWEST

They are brother and sister Brendan (accordion) and Maureen Browne (fiddle) along with PJ McDonald on guitar and vocals and Peter Vickers on bodhrán and various percussion. Their debut album The Long Walk is simply stunning and their musical style is reminiscent of another Galway band, sadly disbanded, Dé Dannan. An excellent album that was described as "A debut on fire" by Irish Music magazine while fRoots called it "the icing on the cake" of their debut recording.

Deeply rooted in tradition, BackWest have nevertheless set new standards with their own bright and energetic music. The musicians on this album are of a very high standard and I can't list their musical pedigrees because they are so rich.

A superb album which includes twelve tracks, mostly reels as they are from Galway, but also some jigs, a polka, The Matt Cranitch Set, and more original, a Traditional Breton Set, a suite of gavottes, and a Galician tune Pinto's Abú by the group Berroguetto. Once again the well-known Julia Delaney's Reel is present. The KDC Set would not have been out of place in Dé Dannan's repertoire, and one of the tunes, The Drimeen Jig, is a composition by Frankie Gavin, fiddler of that famous band. Finally, two songs, including the famous Flowers of Sweet Strabane, highlighted by PJ McDonald's clear and melodious voice. From the first to the last note, a condensed happiness.

Autoproduit BWMCD 001 - www.backwestmusic.com