CD REVIEW: Irish band stages fine traveling show

By Diana Nollen

It's not too early to don your green, grab your spoons and dancing shoes and head to CSPS on Sunday for a St. Paddy's pre-party.

Dervish is bringing the merriment, straight from Sligo in northwest Ireland.

Traditional jigs, reels, hops and epic tales find new life in “Traveling Show,” the latest CD from these six masterful musicians.

From the very first cut, a retelling of the '70s hit “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” you know you're in for something special. Catherine Jordan takes a most welcome detour from Cher's overwrought wailing. Instead, the Irish colleen captures the song's spirit by letting her delicate, reedy vocals dance lightly over the gypsy jam band sounds of the strings, percussion and harmonies.

The album has a wonderful balance of wild reels and jigs that set your heart thumping and ballads that let you catch your breath as you absorb the Old World wonders of a fearless pirate queen, a cat hunting rats while a barn burns down and the swelling emotions that pitch in the high seas.

The first song that will break your heart is Suzanne Vega's tale of the soldier who challenges his queen for an explanation of a seemingly senseless war. And the last is the album's final cut, “Crucan Na Bpaiste (The Burial Place of the Children),” an aching look at the great famine's cruel costs.

The longing and loss are palpable, but so is the joy laced throughout this fine collection. You'll want to travel along on this remarkable ride.

FAST TAKEInformation: www.legionarts.org/music/Dervish.htm or www.dervish.ie

Title: “Traveling Show”

Artist: Dervish

Label: Whirling Discs

Performance: 7 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at CSPS, 1103 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

Tickets: $20 in advance at www.midwestix.com or $25 at the door