I wasn't familiar with Jacquelyn Hynes before I slipped this disc into my player. But I was surprised when I opened the liner notes and spied some familiar names: Eoin O'Neill, Quentin Cooper and Yvonne Casey, all of whom have performed with The Ceili Bandits or Mary Custy, or both -- musicians hailing from County Clare, Ireland, all of whom I've had the pleasure of seeing play live many years ago.

On Silver & Wood, Hynes leads the pack on flutes and adds vocals, piano and melodica on a few tracks. The musicians above join her on various tracks, adding bouzouki (O'Neill), banjo (Cooper) and fiddle (Casey). J. Eoin provides vocals and guitar here and there, and several other musicians round out the sound.

From her website, it looks like Hynes is still an active musician (solo and in various projects), as well as an educator and actor, although Silver & Wood was her only solo recording.

It's an atmospheric album, much mellower than I might have expected considering her cohorts listed above. But it's quite enjoyable for all that, very moody and filled with lovely, flute-driven soundscapes. There are a few songs -- some sung by Hynes, some by others -- but the flute is always in the forefront of every track.

If you like the Irish flute, I really think you'll like this.

[ visit Jacquelyn Hynes online ]