If you frequently entertain visions of sitting in a rural Irish pub swilling stout to the sounds of a rollicking jig, you're bound to be disappointed with the real thing. While there certainly are pubs and bands that cater to the Pogues' mindset, the majority of Irish pub music is a simpler affair featuring a couple of musicians playing easy-going traditional session folk tunes. On this independent release, Grey Larsen and Paddy League stick to the truth and demonstrate that in skilled hands, reality is just as fulfilling as the popular misconception.

The duo holds primarily to a traditional songbook, but their choice of tunes is such that little here is likely to ring a bell with most listeners. This is a definite advantage -- it allows the duo to demonstrate their skill on their instruments and their feel for the emotion of the music without having to address preconceptions. Larsen mostly plays Irish flute and the tin whistle, while League backs him up on the bodhran (a traditional Irish drum) or guitar. Larsen's tone is clear and clean throughout; his playing is deft and tasteful with a solid ear for melody. The only downside to his accomplished performance is that it can occasionally sound a bit formal. This does nothing to drain the success of these tunes, but the inclusion of some looser numbers would have improved the album's overall variety. Tunes such as "Sliabh Geal gCua na Feile (Bright Beautiful Mt. Cua)/ The Drunken Gauger", on which the duo switches to anglo concertina (an accordion-like squeezebox) and harmonium (a variety of organ), do their best to mix things up. Similarly, League's accompaniment is consistently complimentary to Larsen's melodic runs. In particular, I applaud his simple guitar lines on the trio of schottisches written by Michael Kennedy. This style of playing skillfully accents Larsen's flute, but keeps the tune uncomplicated and free.

By working so hard to remain simple, the duo not only maintains an authentic sound, but also avoids the overblown production that bogs down other musicians mining the Celtic tradition. Rather than getting stuck in the New Age quagmire of Enya and her ilk, they create something honest and real.