Thursday, May 7, 2009

Beoga - The Incident

Irish group Beoga delivers a rollicking romp across genres on The Incident, their third album. Though the group refuses to detail the event that inspired the title track, this album is a lively and entertaining mix of jigs, reels, polkas and songs filtered through the quirky minds of the band.

Beoga sets the tone with "Lamped," a tune that swerves between pulsing and sedate before launching into a high-octane finish, complete with party sirens. Equally exciting is the Klezmer-flavored "The Flying Golf Club" set, which begins with "The Jewish Polka" and ends with a tune inspired by an amusement park mishap. Lest one thinks Beoga is all high energy, the band performs a lovely rendition of Ciaran O'Grady's "The Bellevue Waltz."

Niamh Dunne gives stellar vocal performances on the gospel number "Strange Things," done in a ragtime style, and the amusing "On The Way," which features the guest vocals of Joe Echo (Ciaran Gribbin) and a gentle Calypso beat.

The Incident is a delightful, feel-good album and confirms Beoga's place as a powerhouse in the Irish traditional scene.

This review is also published on Folking.com.

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