The Essential Chieftains [Remaster]

Performer: The Chieftains
Artist: The Rankins; Jackson Browne; Marianne Faithfull; Elvis Costello; Alison Krauss; Sting; Linda Ronstadt; Bela Fleck
Producer: Jerry Rappaport (Compilation)
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: The Chieftains: Kevin Conneff (vocals, bodhran); Se�n Keane (fiddle); Paddy Moloney (tin whistle, Uilleann pipe, accordion); Matt Molloy. Additional personnel: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Emmylou Harris, Sin�ad O'Connor, Sting, The Corrs, The Rankins, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello. The two-CD set THE ESSENTIAL CHIEFTAINS provides a longview of the traditional Irish folk ensemble's vast discography. The discs cover two separate facets of the band. Disc one, entitled "The Chieftains' Roots," spans from the 1970s through the 2000s and includes the band's versions of traditional songs like "O'Sullivan's March" and "The Donegal Set." Disc two, entitled "The Chieftains and Friends," focuses on collaborations between the band and the likes of Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Sting, Marianne Faithful, and others. Throughout, the ensemble's classic sound of pipes, fiddle, tin whistle, and bodhran rings with authenticity and authority, while the superior musicianship that has earned them honors as one of the best Celtic music outfits on the planet is in ample evidence. RCA Legacy's The Essential Chieftains breaks the legendary Irish collective's career into two sections. The first disc focuses on 18 of the group's finest traditional works like "Boil the Breakfast Early," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley/The Reel with the Beryle," and "Donegal Set," while the second disc relies on 17 of the band's billion or so collaborations, such as "Mo Ghile Mear" with Sting, "Shenandoah" with Van Morrison, and "Foggy Dew" with Sin�ad O'Connor. At this point in their long and storied career -- 40 albums over 40 years -- a truly comprehensive anthology would have required the box set to end all box sets, but this Essential collection is fair enough for purists and accessible enough for casual fans to fill the void until that time comes. ~ James Christopher Monger

Led by Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes and tin whistle, The Chieftains (along with The Clancy Brothers) have been one of the most influential Irish music groups of the latter 20th century years. Their adaptations of traditional Irish music and have made them a worldwide success. International superstars of traditional music, they've collaborated with artists from every conceivable genre, from Sting to Tom Jones, and have done more than anyone else to bring Celtic musical styles into the mainstream.

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