THE CHIEFTAINS
The Best of the Chieftains
(Columbia/Legacy)
It seems most every movie or television program about or set in Ireland will feature the well-crafted, homespun melodies of the Chieftains, perhaps Ireland's premier folk band. Consider, for example, their powerful score for Ron Howard's 1992 Far and Away or the haunting "Women of Ireland" produced for Kubrick's 1975 Barry Lyndon. The group began life in 1963 as an ad hoc group put together by piper Paddy Moloney to record a simple album of traditional Irish music for Dublin's Claddagh label. The Chieftains, the album they produced, was anything but simple, however. This collection represented a dramatic departure from folk music's then-preference for vocal acts. Rather than a singer simply rehashing old songs to the accompaniment of old instruments, the Chieftains offered new interpretations and new arrangements of time-honored tunes. The album created a stir in the world of folk. Since then, despite numerous changes in the band's makeup, the Chieftains have become ambassadors of Ireland's folk music to the world, presenting not only well-loved airs, but also original compositions in the traditional style. The Best of the Chieftains, their new album, presents generous selections from their long and illustrious career.

Unlike their more rough-and-tumble counterparts, the Dubliners, the Chieftains' style is tighter, more close-knit. Furthermore, they tend to eschew vocals, although they may suddenly launch into the "dum-dum-doodle-dee-dum" form of Irish "scat" familiar to many listeners. The title cut to their 1976 Boil the Breakfast Early represents perhaps the one of the best examples of this style. Although itself as rollicking as anything the Dubliners produced, the playing on this piece is more tightly woven and delicate, like fine Irish linen. When the band expertly "scats" one chorus, they highlight their musical virtuosity and the dexterity of their arrangements.

Most listeners, from the casual fan of Irish folk to hardcore Chieftains diehards, should find this new collection a delightful bravura retrospective of the giants of Irish folk. Scott Hoffman [buy it]

For fans of: the Dubliners, De Dannan, and other Irish folk bands

ZAKARY THAKS
Form the Habit
(BeatRocket/Sundazed)
Back in the 60s, Corpus Christi's Zakary Thaks was just one more band of young punks emulating the British R&B invasion, building a regional following with their long bowl-cuts and ragged rock 'n' roll. There were a million bands just like them in 1966, and many of them scored at least one (though usually no more than that) national hit single. Unlike a lot of those bands, the Thaks didn't have any hits, but they had enough talent and songwriting smarts to come up with more than just a couple of notable songs. While the quintet never issued an album in its lifetime, it recorded enough quality tracks for this posthumous collection to stand as the statement the band never had a chance to make. There's nothing sonically revelatory here—indeed, it comes across as almost a survey of rock styles circa 1966-1968. There's tough blues rock ("Outprint," "Weekday Blues"), lyrical folk rock ("Mirror of Yesterday," "Please"), proto-psychedelia ("Green Crystal Ties," "Footsteps Jam"), an idealistic would-be anthem ("Everybody Wants to Be Somebody"), the obligatory British Invasion cover (the Kinks' "I Need You") and plenty of raw rockers freshly unleashed from the garage ("Bad Girl," "Won't Come Back," the excellent "Face to Face"). The rusty bark of frontman Chris Gerniottis and the searing tone of lead guitarist John Lopez make for the band's most distinguishing features and provide the most scintillating moments. The only real difference between Zakary Thaks and its grungy brethren is that the Thaks is actually darn good at pretty much anything it tries, and it's able to sustain that quality over the course of several songs, instead of just one or two. Instrumental versions of its tunes notwithstanding, these tracks hold together quite nicely as an album, and make one wonder into what the band would have developed had it remained a unit. Following the path of nostalgia is pointless, however; better to just enjoy the heartfelt rock 'n' roll of Zakary Thaks. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: early Rolling Stones, early Kinks, the Yardbirds