John Whelan
Come To Dance (Narada)
English-born button-accordion virtuoso John Whelan retreats from the Celtic-world music fusion experiments of his last few albums to make a straight-ahead, traditional Irish dance record. As such, “Come to Dance” feels like something of a breather.
It’s also a relief. “Riverdance” has popularized Celtic hybrids to the point of cliché.. Whelan’s exceptional technique, good taste in tunes and bandmates, and obvious love of the genre helps him skirt that trap while also avoiding the boredom common to many traditional Irish dates.
“Come to Dance” doesn’t break any new ground, but it tills the old sod pretty well.