Customer Reviews

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I have been following Liz Carroll since her trio "Trian" days. She is an immense musical talent, including both being a master of Irish style fiddle and a composer. I have been following John Doyle since the first Solas album. He is one of my two favorite Irish guitar players (with Daithe Sproule of Altan). I suppose John is the surprise of this album and his own solo album. I remember the boyish young lad that put the bounce in the early Solas albums, and a bit unassertive in lead vocals. That has now changed and I hear an accomplished guitar player and lead vocalist that is comfortable in the unique style he has created. I saw them presenting these songs at a recent Celtic Festival, and just the two of them filled the stage with gorgeous music.

One evening, driving home, I heard the "Hunter's Moon" track from this CD on a local radio station. As soon as I got home, I logged on to Amazon.com and ordered a copy. It's an outstanding album all the way through: the performances sound spontaneous (even in the studio setting), the recording quality is excellent, and the tunes are well selected to show off both performers' range of styles, from cheery to meditative to bumptious. When I read the liner notes later, I was astounded to note how many of the tunes were original compositions by the two performers (mostly Liz Carroll) -- the melodies are interesting and piquant, but they're so thoroughly in tune with tradition that they sound as if they've been around for hundreds of years. The album is an impressive achievement in both composition and performance, and if I could give it 10 stars I would.

This collection of tunes, featuring extraordianry work on fiddle and guitar, is truly wonderful. I love the fact that Liz Carroll's tunes are very innovative while at the same time faithful to the Irish tradition in music. In my opinion this is her best album in recent years, and this is very high praise considering all the great albums she's been a part of. With just fiddle and guitar on this one, the talents really shine through. Most of the tunes are lively and catchy, and all are very well done. For those who like this album as much as I do, I also recommend checking out the Liz Carroll album, and A Friend Indeed.

If there are any two musicians better at their instruments than these two I'd be surprised. The album is great and the chemistry these two create is wonderful to listen to and even better to see. The album doesn't allow you to see Liz's sly little smiles or John's amazing body rhythm and hear Liz's great humor but you can hear the energy these two create. I've been fortunate to see these two on personal appearances many times and am among their biggest fans. John has appeared on the more recent albums Liz has done. This is their first joint release. May there be many more to follow. Don't miss this album or any others that Liz and John have done

This CD serves as perhaps the best example of originally written Irish traditional music. Most of the tunes have been written by fiddler Liz Carroll, who is both at the top of her writing and playing form. John Doyle, probably the world's best Irish guitarist, is also at the top of his game, displaying his prowess on the bouzouki as well as the guitar.

In terms of Irish traditional music, you couldn't find a better duo if you tried and this album is a fantastic example of what these two can do together.

I keep returning to this disc thinking, hoping it will grow on me but each time I'm able to make it through less and less of it. The playing is, no-doubt, virtuosic and credit is due for using original compositions. However, other than `wow they play fast' and `gee that sounds tricky', I find nothing here that moves me emotionally. Furthermore, the production is very slick and I don't care for it. The fiddle sounds too smoothed out and the guitar is too high in the mix and has a high frequency hype that I find irritating.

I realize these are two highly respected players and certainly some will and do love this cd, but I wanted to state an alternative perspective so that others may know that this is not an automatic go-to great ITM disc as others have professed here.

This is a great album. It's a little slower than "Double Play" but still has outstanding fiddling. In my opinion, the best fiddle music is fast and wild. The faster the better. I want something that will blow me away. This album is just that. Liz Carroll just goes crazy on the fiddle. A couple of the tracks are screaming fast. Even the slow tracks have a lot of passion and sass.

Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Fiddle (Complete Idiot's Guide to)

Liz Carroll is one of the best Irish fiddlers around today. She was born and raised in Chicago, and her style is very traditional, but with a unique and individual style that could only (in my opinion!) come from America. This album showcases more of her terrific playing and great original compositions like the air "Island of Woods." She and guitarist John Doyle perform together frequently, and their familiarity with each other's styles is evident in the tight arrangements on this cd. Can't go wrong!

Liz Carroll and John Doyle are wondeful musicians on their own. When they combine their talents, it's a real treat.