Sharon Shannon Compass Records 743112

By William Michael Smith

	As anyone who listens to much Steve Earle knows, Steve spends a lot of time in Ireland. Going all the way back to "Copperhead Road," Earle has regularly included Irish musicians and Irish sounds on this records. On his most recent record, "Transcendental Blues," Earle recorded several cuts in Galway, Ireland, where he was holed up working on a book of poems and occasionally writing songs. Accordionist Sharon Shannon was a central figure in those recordings. Earle has simply described Shannon as a virtuoso of her instrument, the button accordion. During this year's Houston International Festival, Shannon played several engagements in Houston and was asked to perform with another ensemble of European virtuosos, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, at one of the event's premier showcases. In 1989 while in the initial stages of recording the album, she was asked by Mike Scott, who was present at the session, to join the internationally popular band The Waterboys. Shannon put her album on hold until The Waterboys broke up over a year later. After a tour with Irish traditional legend Christy Moore, Ms. Shannon again struck out on her own. With a diverse group of Irish traditional players, she finished her project begun in 1989, producing fifteen soaring, soul-lifting examples of instrumental music in what might best be described (quite oxymoronically) as a neo-traditionalist style. Most of the music is "traditional" sounding, although some of the tunes that are included were recent and some were "non-Irish." Ms. Shannon's record became the top selling Irish traditional album ever. It was also a source of much debate within Irish musical circles as to just how traditional it was. For her part, Ms. Shannon has always avoided that sort of debate, preferring to let her accordion, her arrangements, and her ensembles do the talking. She has moved further and further from "traditional" with her newer albums. After the smashing success of "Sharon Shannon," she joined other standout Irish female musicians Frances Black, Dolores Keane, Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black and Maura O'Connell in an ensemble named A Woman's Heart. Their 1992 album became the top selling Irish record of all time. Ms. Shannon became so renowned and revered in Ireland that she was given an entire program of "Late, Late Night," Ireland's most popular TV variety show. To realize the magnitude of this, consider that it took The Chieftains, probably the Irish traditional band most familiar to Americans, 25 years to get a "Late, Late Night" show for themselves. Now ten years after its original release, Compass Records has re-released Shannon's self-titled 1991 record. Through her own records plus the international attention and exposure she's gotten through her association with Earle's record, her name is now much more widely known than it was in 1991, where few beyond the shores of Ireland were aware of her. The album is a wonderful set of tunes that are not only enjoyable but that are highly educational for those of us not familiar with Irish musical forms. Shannon and her cohorts perform slides, hornpipes, waltzes, jigs, reels, airs, Cajun tunes, and even a Portugese corindinio (traditional dance tune), and they nail them all. It is all played with a wonderful spirit and zest, and the aura is completely and totally green. Shannon's energy and playing skill are mesmerizing. The woman simply has the magic of leprechauns in her fingers. The intelligence it takes to play the complex melodies and rhythms of these tunes is comparable to that of symphony musicians. While the music is joyous and occasionally borders on blissful insanity, it is a serious and complex music that demands a listener's attention. This album is a thing of beauty and it has many echoes that Americana music fans will find quite recognizable from American country music. If you like peaceful music for the head or mad, wild music for the feet, music that truly brings joy and pleasure, you can't go wrong with Sharon Shannon. * Buy Sharon Shannon's self-titled album at www.compassrecords.com and be the center of attention next Saint Patrick's Day. Contact William Michael Smith at: wms-at-rockzilla.net

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