The thrush in the storm

"Whether a stonking jig, a flowing reel or the impish set of dance tunes that give the album its title, magic reigns whenever the Dervish guys blend fiddle with flute, accordeon, guitar and mandolin in ever-uplifting circles. And, of course, their trump card is Cathy Jordan, singing as endearingly as ever throughout, whether giving us melancholy on the irish song "Baba Chonraoi", spirited defiance on the brilliantly arranged "Handsome Polly-O" or simply killing us with vocal beauty on the album-winning tracks "Shanagolden" and "The Banks Of The Clyde"".