Irish stalwarts
Planxty
begin
Cold Blow and the Rainy Night
-- their third record for
Shanachie
-- with a rousing version of the Scottish battlefield classic
"Johnnie Cope."
It's a fitting opening to a record that essentially rounded out their recording heyday as the members splintered off to form equally influential
Celtic
acts like
the Bothy Band
,
Moving Hearts
, and
De Danann
. Co-founder
Donal Lunny
, despite contributing instrumentally to a few tracks and taking a seat in the production chair, left the group, allowing newest member
Johnny Moynihan
to take over bouzouki and -- along with
Andy Irvine
and
Christy Moore
-- vocal duties. The title track is one of the finest of their career, utilizing
Liam O'Flynn
's expert uillean pipes and the band's peerless harmonizing to a tee.
Moore
's gorgeous
"Lakes of Pontchartrain"
Irvine
's moving closer,
"Green Fields of Canada,"
showcase the group's timeless mastery of balladry, a style that would greatly inform their later solo works.
, along with
The Well Below the Valley
, and their legendary debut, are essential listening for those in love with, or merely intrigued with, the genre. ~ James Christopher Monger