This section is no longer maintained. Please check the home page for the latest news and reviews

One could argue its preeminence until way past closing time at your local Irish pub, but it would be hard to deny that the genre occupies a larger role on the world stage than ever before.

The green tide that elevated the New Age singer Enya and the wildly popular Riverdance troupe has lifted other performers as well. Rising stars such as accordionist Sharon Shannon and American-based Solas have brought breathtaking virtuosity and a looser definition of traditional music to the genre with wonderful results. And several Irish women -- like their sisters in American country music -- have breathed new life and popularity into mournful Irish ballads.

Today, a wander through the Celtic section of your local record store is likely to turn up anything from boisterous pub singers to punk-folk to moody ambient music. The following releases are just a hint of some of the paths Celtic artists are taking.

Reeltime is a group of young, spirited musicians who are steeped in traditional music, but also have an eye out for other genres they can incorporate. They skate effortlessly through new arrangements of old Irish jigs and reels, but they also take side trips through Nashville and French musette. In addition, several of the cuts on Live It Up (Green Linnet / www.greenlinnet.com) downshift to linger on plaintive Irish airs centering around the strong, clear voice of Mairin Fahy.

Some have said that Irish music is so often bittersweet because it is a country with a long history of reluctant emigration. The Irish Diaspora, however, has also proven to be an ersatz cultural exchange. Young bands like Reeltime tinker with the old-time Irish formulas, but add a bit of cosmopolitan sensibility. The differences may be barely apparent to neophytes, however, since Reeltime is firmly rooted in the soil of their homeland: call them Irish evolutionaries rather than revolutionaries.

The new album from Dublin-born, New York-based singer Susan McKeown is slightly reminiscent of Enya. Both women have stunning voices and effortlessly marry ancient and contemporary sounds, but McKeown's album is less awash with dark and stormy synthesizers.

On Bushes & Briars (Alula / www.alula.com) McKeown showcases her resolute alto in several a capella stretches, but elsewhere she constructs backdrops that range from spare acoustic guitar to electronic-bolstered arrangements with a stark modernity. Several of her songs sidle into contemporary folk-pop territory, but they are always unmistakably Irish due to McKeown's doleful singing -- whether it's in Gaelic or English. Even when McKeown experiments with light touches of nontraditional instrumentation, such as the Indian tabla, her songs sound like they are channeling from centuries past.

The acoustic guitar has not been a strong showcase instrument in Celtic traditional music. The music is so melody-centered that the guitar -- even when increasingly used in recent times -- was relegated to rhythmic accompaniment. A small number of guitarists from Ireland and elsewhere, however, have been adapting the Irish canon for solo acoustic guitar.

Ramble to Cashel (Rounder / www.rounder.com) is a two-disc series surveying what some of these lyrical guitarists have been able to accomplish. In addition, the series is being released along with a companion instructional video for guitarists who want to learn these fingerstyle techniques.

Both CDs feature the same artists and are pretty much alike in tone, so either is a good choice with which to start. Though guitar aficionados would be better equipped to appreciate the nuances of things such as alternate tunings and claw-hammer-style bass string playing, the overall prettiness of the record also makes it a good choice for those who just want a disc of sweet, pleasant music.

The roster of fingerpicking guitarists include Martin Simpson, Pierre Bensusan, Duck Baker and El McMeen and all succeed in maintaining the spirit of these traditional songs while demonstrating some skillful, delicate and sensitive playing. Even an overdone tune like 'Danny Boy' is wrung free of purple sentimentality here and shines through anew with a simple, lovely arrangement. - By Marty Lipp

See also: Celtic and Irish music