Anam - Riptide (CD)

All Music Guide

On their second outing (but first to see U.S. release), Anam shines on a fairly pan-Celtic mixture of material, ranging from Ireland to Scotland, and even the ancient Celtic kingdom of Cornwall, which gets featured in "An Blew Treghys (Cornish Gavottes)." While the musicianship is impeccable throughout, beginning with Neil Davey's mandolin work on the opening title cut, the band shines brightest on the songs: whether it's Brian O'hEadhra singing in Gaelic on his own "Mo Chailín Donn (My Brown Haired Girl)" or the wonderful Aimee Leonard (who's since departed Anam), who brings a sprightliness to "Mary and the Soldier," a lonely beauty to the spare arrangement of "Kjetil's Song" (although was the soprano saxophone really necessary?). There's even a very authentic Cajun feel to "Fourteen Days," announcing that this band won't be limited by genre. But the highlight has to be their version of "Westlin' Winds," Robert Burns' lyric long ago set to music, and one of the great pieces to come ou...t of Scotland -- and this take on it stands well against the definitive one by Dick Gaughan. With the ability to create lovely originals and do full justice to originals from throughout the Celtic dominion, with Riptide Anam establishes themselves as one of the contenders in the field. - Chris Nickson, All Music Guide Read more Less