Ahh Irish folk: the music of pints of stout and drunken sing-alongs. The Chieftains have been the best in the business for a long time and on Long Black Veil, their reputation attracts a host of guest vocalists, from Mick Jagger to Sinaed O'Conner. The resulting album is pretty nifty. There are low points (e.g.hearing Sting's pompous mashed-potato mouth), but the Chieftains usually hit astride (like on "Long Road To Dublin"), once again producing some of the finest traditional drinking music available anywhere.

--Tom Cornell