This album has an excellent mix of instrumental pieces and vocal songs. It alternates tunes with an upbeat tempo and tunes that are slower, so that one does not get tired while listening to the entire album straight through.

This is my first purchase of an album by Cherish the Ladies, and I am extremely pleased. They are obviously top-rate musicians. Anyone who wants to get a flavor of Irish music, I'd recommend this as an excellent first album.

My favor song is John of Dreams. It uses both a male and female singer, and the entrancing play of the flute echoes the sweetly-sad melody of the singers. Wonderful.

This is my second Cherish The Ladies album, and as much as I loved the first one, this one makes me appreciate these gals all the more.

First, the alternating enervating dance numbers with tender ballads gives the album a great balance. The fact that one of the ballads, "The Waves of Kilkee", is strictly and beautifully instrumental just adds the variety of this CD.

And then, there are a couple of welcome surprises here. One is a touching rendition of Dan Fogelberg's "The Leader Of The Band", dedicated to their fathers. Fogelberg's song is enhanced by the weaving of a traditional reel, "Devaney's Goat", with the main melody.

The set of dances that follows is a Father's Day Medley that starts with a hornpiipe played by banjo and accordian, the same combination of instruments playing the following reel. Third part of the medley, "Drag Her 'round the Road", features Paddy Rafferty's authentic traditional lilting. The medley ends with "Bag of Spuds, featuring some step dancing.

This medley is followed by another welcome surprise,the song "John of Dreams", borrowed first from a Southern Italian lullaby and then used as a principal theme in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6.

These, cuts 6,7,8,& 9, form the heart of the album, but the energizing jigs and reels and the exquisite ballads as sung by Aoife Clancy that surround this "heart" set off the whole collection perfectly.

Highly recommended for all lovers of Irish and Celtic music.

A nice later album from this all-star, all-gal trad band. On this album, the Ladies bring in various members of their families to perform alongside the ensemble...The Longs, Maddens, Clancys, et al., pitch in, and show where the group's trad roots come from. Other than a horrendous version of Dan Fogelberg's '70s AOR neolith, "The Leader Of The Band," this is a great album. (I "get" the thematic tie between the lyrics and this album; I just can't stand the song and think it's really cheesy.) Otherwise, this disc has an admirable mix of instrumentals and ballads, and Joannie Madden's piping is, as ever, a heavenly aural treat. Recommended.