White Wave Chapel

Pitched somewhere between Eire and Appalachia, I Draw Slow’s White Wave Chapel embraces both Irish folk and American bluegrass without a sense of strain. The Dublin-based quintet’s third album is their most confident effort yet, loaded with lyrically smart, melodically engaging tunes. Louise Holden gives the band their defining character with her keening yet saucy lead vocals. Clawhammer banjo player Colin Derham, standup bassist Konrad Liddy, and violinist Adrian Hart flesh out the sound with fluid lines that interweave with Dave Holden’s acoustic guitar work. White Wave Chapel’s songs carry a pang of yearning, whether the theme is damaged love (“All Souls,” “Valentine”) or enduring human conflict (“Old Wars”). The album’s musical range is wide, reaching from the delicately antique strains of “Souvenir” and the whimsical lilt of “Whisky Mirrors” to the hoedown vigor of “Bread and Butter.” There are hints of Indigo Girls, Gillian Welch, and Fairport Convention to be found here, filtered through a modern sensibility. Coproducer Brian Masterson (The Chieftans, Planxty) helps keep the sound uncluttered, letting it shine with clean-edged sparkle.