The Pure Borhrán

The Pure Bodhrán - The Definitive Collection is an interesting come all ye exercise that doesn't quite manage to gather the momentum it promises.

Versatile and eclectic as the bodhrán is, it simply doesn't have the strength of personality (at least on the tunes collected here) to hold a double album together.

There's no doubting the calibre of the cast: Tommy Hayes, Donnacha Goff of Danú, Christy Moore, Kevin Conneff, Johnny McDonagh et al occupy positions of authority that few will challenge.

But listening to 'Jig Jungle' from Robbie Harris, or Ronan Ó Snodaigh's 'Feach', you're left with the feeling that you should be excising each eddy and beat and carefully placing it under a microscope.

Instead of a sense of urgency, drive or even excitement pervading the collection, there's a reverence that ill suits the music, making the final verdict worthy but dull.