London Daybreak Strategy

Released the same year as PLACES, 1987's DAYBREAK has less of the eclecticism of the former outing, but still captures banjo player Bela Fleck merging his bluegrass roots with forays into other genres (fusions he would perfect with his '90s outfit the Flecktones). The lead-off track, "Texas Barbeque," shows Fleck can still pick his way masterfully through the bluegrass idiom, but the following cut, a version of Chick Corea's romantic, pulsing composition "Spain" (with banjo and mandolin taking the lead lines), proves Fleck is no straight-laced traditionalist. Likewise, the Celtic-flavored "Growling Old Man and the Grumbling Old Woman," the Fats Waller rag "How Can You Face Me Now," and the sweeping ballad "The Natural Bridge Suite" have Fleck moving all over the musical map with grace and ease.

If a listener approaches Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh's new album expecting to hear traditional interpretations of Celtic folk songs, he or she will probably be disappointed. If, on the other hand, a listener approaches Daybreak: Fáinne an Lae as contemporary folk that borrows a thing or two from tradition, he or she will find it quite enjoyable. Part of the problem in how to interpret her music is that even her name, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, hints at tradition, as does the album's title. And it doesn't help that she sings a number of old folk songs in her native tongue, again hinting at a commitment to traditionalism.