Four Shillings Short, From Raga's To Riches (self-released, 2003)

The liner notes describe this latest release by Four Shillings Short as "no frills." That's true enough in a sense. The only musicians present are the duo of Aodh Og O'Tuama (vocals, tinwhistles, recorders, spoons, dumbek, crumhorn) and Christy Martin (vocals, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, sitar, banjo). There appears to be little multi-tracking used (I only noted one instance), so at any given time, the most that you're likely to hear will be two instruments and two voices. So, yes, no frills in that sense. The sound is far from sparse, though, and the arrangements are the inventive sort that I've come to expect from Four Shillings Short.

"Only Our Rivers Run Free" is a lament for a divided Ireland, but the song sounds Andean here; vigorous mandolin strumming and a sobbing, bird-like whistle ably mimic charango and quena. Martin's mandola puts a chesty, modal bite into the Appalachian song "Shady Grove", later joined by some breathy whistle for an Irish reel, "Ships Are Sailing."

Can you imagine swing spoons playing? Give a listen to the Shillings' cover of Mark Graham's dinosaur requiem, "Their Brains Were Small," and you'll hear how it can be done. The other dinosaur song on the recording, the original "Jurassic Jaws," also swings. The pastoral "To The West" is a pretty piece; the whistle plays curlicues among and around the sustained, harp-like tones of the hammer dulcimer.

Political issues are addressed in a couple of songs. "Liberty," another original, is dedicated to those jailed for peaceful protest; the chorus is "Dona Nobis Pacem" (Give Us Peace). This is followed by the anti-nuclear "Hiroshima Nagasaki Russian Roulette."

I always expect at least one blend of Western and Indian musical styles (Euro-ragas, I call them), and once again, Four Shillings Short delivered. This time, "Black Is The Colour" is melded with "Raga Malkauns." The shimmering liquid tones of the sitar glide beneath O'Tuama's tenor voice. There is a whistle solo that again sounds Andean, and as the raga progresses, the dumbek accentuates the pulse.

Call it "no frills," then. On this recording, you won't miss the absent frills.

[Tim Hoke]

Be sure to visit Four Shillings Short's Web site.