Water From the Well (CD - 2000)

The Chieftains: Kevin Conneff (vocals, bodhran); Sean Keane, Martin Fay (fiddle); Derek Bell (harp, piano, harpsichord, tiompan); Matt Malloy (flute); Paddy Moloney (tin whistle, Uilleann pipes, accordion).

Altan: Daithi Sproule (guitar); Ciaran Curran (bouzouki); Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Ciaran Tourish (fiddle); Dermot Byrne (accordion).

Kilfenora Ceilidh Band: Michael Kelleher, Tommy Peoples (fiddle); Seamus Hynes (flute); Mary Corocoran (piano).

Additional personnel: Laurence Courtney (vocals, banjo); Seamus Begley (vocals, accordion); Frankie Lane, Daith O Se, Ciaran O Gealbhain (vocals); Barney McKenna (banjo); Noel Grady (bouzouki); Ashley MacIsaac, John McHugh, James Murphy, Cora Smyth (fiddle); Janet Harbison, Laoise Kelly, The Belfast Harp Orchestra (harp); Rev. Gary Hastings, Peter Horan, Peter Molloy (flute); Dave Munnelly (accordion); Eoin O Beaglaoich (concertina).

WATER FROM THE WELL was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.

Ever since 1988's Irish Heartbeat, the Chieftains relied on guest artists on their own albums, ranging from Celtic peers to pop, rock, and country superstars, since the cameos virtually guaranteed that each new album would be treated as an event. That's also the case with 2000's Water in the Well, a traditional Irish folk/Celtic album filled with guest spots by traditional Celtic musicians. That might not seem like an anomaly from a band that had a great deal to do with the popularization of Celtic music in the last 25 years of the 20th century, but it had been a while since the band members devoted themselves to the music so completely as they do here. Does it work? Yes. This is a rare incident where a preponderance of guests -- and there are over 20 cameos here -- doesn't result in a sluggish, carefully considered record. Not only do the Chieftains have a great time embracing traditional dances and ballads, but their guests invigorate them, resulting in a very strong listen. It's the kind of record that only a seasoned band could make; it might not be groundbreaking or definitive, but it is an accomplished yet enthusiastic set of songs where the joy is in the little details. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

On 1999's TEARS OF STONE, the Chieftains' prior effort, the venerable Irish institution collaborated (surprisingly successfully) with a number of pop performers, some of whom (Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Merchant, Joan Osborne) had little or no discernible connection with traditional Irish music (apart from enjoying it, of course). On the aptly titled WATER FROM THE WELL, the Chieftains return to more authentic Irish turf, and the results, unsurprisingly, are gorgeous; nobody plays this music more ravishingly.

About a third of the album is sung (Frankie Lane--no, not the "Rawhide" guy--guests on the jaunty "Jack of All Trades"), but the strictly instrumental numbers are often the most impressive, with Chieftain Derek Bell's harpsichord lending astonishing orchestral textures on "Lots of Drops of Brandy," the Belfast Harp Orchestra fleshing out the seraphically lovely "Planxty George Brabazon," and Dubliner (and almost Chieftain) Barney McKenna adding piquant banjo on "Within a Mile of Dublin." minimize