PRECIOUSLY few Irish bands can compare in both virtuosity and versatility with

Solas, a quintet of truly dazzling individual talents. Multiple All-lreland champion

Séamus Egan plays no fewer than eight instruments, John Williams is a gifted

button accordionist and the only American ever to win the coveted All-lreland sen-

ior concertina title, Winifred Horan weaves deft classical touches with an earthy

passion in her fiddling, Karan Casey possesses a crystalline voice that can soar

like no other, and John Doyle provides faultless guitar rhythms throughout. But

the sum of Solas is far greater than their impressive parts, combining to produce

a marvelously spirited and textured sound rich in imagination, innovation, and

tradition. They are the most exciting Irish band to emerge in many years - as

this stunning debut album attests. - Earle Hitchner, Irish Echo April 1996