Take a Second Look
You could bypass this album with the thought 'oh, it's only another pipe band album.' Stop and check it out. Yes, there are the pipe band standards done with the full band, solos and duets (Minstrel Boy, Scotland the Brave, Amazing Grace), but a couple of surprises await. Tracks 4 and 7 are lively dance sets with button accordian, fiddle and tin whistle. The Sally Gardens (track 10) is nicely done on the Uilleann pipes. Those tracks featuring pipe band standards are coupled with rarer, less known tunes that set up well. Throw in the drum salute cadence and this makes for a refreshing, varied album with lots to recommend it.