Art Ketchen - Ar Scáth a Chéile (Each Other’s Shadow)
Celtic Beat, Márta 2004, Art Ketchen, USA
"As I listened to this CD, it was convincing that Flaithrí and Eoghan Neff, both young instrumentalists from Ireland are nothing short of genius. The creativity and musical artistry on this CD is magnificent and the manner in which they incorporate tunes from other Celtic nations such as Asturias and Brittany interwoven into medleys with Irish jigs and reels is amazing. It was obvious upon listening to the opening medley, "Asturias" featuring fine uillean piping and an Asturian jig rendered nicely on fiddle as part this set that brilliant things were to follow such as "Cath Eachroma," which featured a Gaelic march followed by two Breton tunes (the last "Gan Ainm" dynamic and inviting to dance to). Several tunes which really demonstrated a creative edge included "Clockworx," a very unique tune where the instrumentation resembles the ticking of a clock and "Roísin San Ind," an East Indian inspired medley (I swore I heard a sitar here), exotic and passionate which progresses into a really wild musical ride. The CD also includes a dynamic rendition of "Rakish Paddy" where the piping really shines and a great polka medley "The Octopus" which progresses flawlessly … and there are many other fine musical gems on this release to discover. For real musical genius, this CD comes highly recommended."