Product Description

One of Ireland's hottest musical exports, Sharon Shannon has elevated the accordion to new heights. She take a gigantic artistic leap with this, her 4th album, the Diamond Mountain Sessions. Featuring appearances by CArlos Nunez, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Hothouse Flowers and Steve Earle. E.

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Born in County Clare, Sharon Shannon is a charismatic musician who is equally at home on button accordion or fiddle. This set commences with Galicia's revered gaita (bagpipe) virtuoso, Carlos Núñez, leading a mazurka-like tune that morphs into what sounds like a syncopated Spanish-Irish jig. There are Francophone references throughout the album; "Galway Girl" (sung by Steve Earle) and "Say You Love Me" are Cajun-flavored barroom stomps, while "The Pernod Waltz" would be a perfect fit in Quebec. The vocal soloists--Earle, John Prine, Liam O'Maonlai, John Hoban, Mary Staunton, Dessie O'Halloran, and Jackson Browne, are either idiomatic or else so far beyond that it ceases to matter. Other notable participants include the Woodchoppers (Shannon's touring band), the Hothouse Flowers, and Donal Lunny (the Quincy Jones of Ireland.) Even amid so much talent and variety, "Fire in the Bellies," which features the robust fiddling of Liz and Yvonne Kane, demands repeated hearings. --Christina Roden