Album Reviews

"Box player Paudie O'Connor has been well steeped in the Sliabh Luachra tradition of his native County Kerry, and his superb technical ability is brilliantly showcased by his impressive debut CD. Many of the tunes are played solo, further highlighting the precision of O' Connor’s playing; where there's backing (courtesy of Paul De Grae on guitar), it's subtle and spare. Flute player Joe O Sullivan and fiddle player Noeleen O Connor (paudie's sister) lend a hand on the Kerry slides that close the album, while fiddle player Aoife Ni Chaoimh graces lively set of reels. Additional variety is supplied by O'Connor's use of old style, more tremolo-heavy Hohner accordions on two tracks - the aforementioned reels and the lovely slow air 'Aisling Gael'. Rating 9/10 Sarah McQuid Hotpress 20th April 2005

"Sliabh Luachra box player Paudie O'Connor was one of the year's left-field surprises. His spare style gelled perfectly with an emotional fearlessness, which in debuts is a rare thing of beauty." Siobhan Long, Irsh Times Review of 2005

"This young Sliabh Luachra musician has a lovely light touch on the 2-row accordion, and a charming repertoire of old and rare tunes picked up from the likes of Johnny O'Leary and John Brosnan. A Different State is unashamedly true to Paudie's roots, just great dance music lovingly played, with a couple of dreamy slow airs thrown in. Only two sets of reels on the album, and one of those is a hornpipe: slides and polkas predominate...........................................................................a first class debut CD and a highly enjoyable example of Sliabh Luachra's rich heritage." Alex Monaghan www.folkworld.de May 2005