Over the course of his career,
Hayes
he been slowly stripping everything extraneous from his music. In the long, long break since his last CD, he's obviously made a lot of progress on the road, as the opening cute,
"The Clare Reel,"
demonstrates. There's no fat here; everything serves to highlight the simple beauty of the melody, exposing and buffing it to a silky brilliance. His County Clare style isn't built for speed (although he can switch it on at times), but for a kind of meditation --
Irish folk
as Zen -- finding the glory at the heart of a tune. At times, as with the slow air
"The Dear Irish Boy"
he achieves something quite remarkable, taking a piece of
folk
music to its core and revealing something as complex and lovely as a sonata. There are very judicious overdubs, and although
is the frontman, much of the success of this record actually lies with partner
Dennis Cahill
. The two enjoy a symbiotic relationship by now, and
Cahill
exudes small touches of brilliance that enhance what
does -- shadowing a melody on mandolin, playing his guitar like a harp, or working harmonically around the melody to throw a fresh light on it. Even in the instances where his playing emphasizes rhythm, it's done with gentle subtlety, never detracting from the melody above. All of that serves to make an album that glistens and show just what an inventive duo they are, as well as highlight the inescapable fact that
has become the leading fiddler of his generation, one who thinks about the music as much as he feels it. And
Welcome Here Again
might well be the finest
album in a long, long time. ~ Chris Nickson