I was already familiar with the talents of Laura Cortese and Lissa Schneckenburger and, to some extent, Hanneke Cassel, so the strength of their band Halali is a given.

All three young women are gifted fiddlers, and they put their gifts to work on this album along with Cassel on piano and shaker, Cortese on lead vocals and step dancing, and Schneckenburger on harmony vocals. Flynn Cohen (whom I've apparently heard before with the band Annalivia) rounds out the quartet on guitar.

This self-titled album is thoroughly pleasant, featuring a selection of songs and instrumental tracks. Their skills are rock-solid, and the musicians display exceptional polish on each of nine tracks.

This is a great album to slip on and put on repeat for an afternoon.

It doesn't look like Halali is still an active band, which is a shame. This album appears to be their only collaboration. Still, it's a good album to have in one's collection.