To do it right, Celtic music requires a certain amount of sassiness, a bit of impudence along with strong respect and joyful spirit. The three women of Banshee in the Kitchen know how to balance their audacity with reverence of the art form. “Merry abandon,” they call it themselves. Or “banshee-fying” traditional tunes to impart a contemporary freshness to them. With plenty of personality, the result is a gripping performance that strikes gold. “Even Hotter Water” is the third album from this popular trio based in Bakersfield, Ca.

Working through sets of dance tunes alternately with songs, Banshee in the Kitchen gives us music that is both memorable and impressionistic. Songs on the 58-minute disc include:1. Shoe, 2. Jewish Girl, 3. Bantry Marches, 4. Milltown, 5. Comb Sonja, 6. The Righteous Set, 7. The Aran Boat Song, 8. Mom's, 9. Bog Sligo, 10. March of the King of Laoise, 11. The Castaways, 12. Miss Gordon of Gight, 13. Ye Jacobites, 14. Merrily Kiss the Quaker

Brenda Hunter, Jill Egland and Mary Tulin are all multi-instrumentalists who are quite proficient and precise on their hammered dulcimer, fiddle, accordion, bodhran, flute, whistle, guitars and bouzouki. . “The Aran Boat Song” demonstrates how Hunter won the Natl. Hammered Dulcimer championship at Winfield, Ks. Using dampers on the strings is a technique that Brenda also employs for percussive effects at various points in the set such as on “Miss Gordon of Gight.” Guests include Jeff Pekarek (bass), Michael Mercy (percussion) and Amelia Egland (additonal vocals on two tracks). The band’s vocals are also immediately appealing, although they allocate a greater percentage of the nearly hourlong set to instrumental work. “Ye Jacobites by Name” is a popular song from Scotland’s national bard and poet, Robbie Burns.

The band also has a knack for arranging to interweave melodies, counter-melodies and harmonies into a patchwork of passionate, spine-tingling music. High fidelity on the album and professional production are also comendable. Mastering engineer Bernie Becker (Neil Diamond's personal engineer) did a fine job. Together since 2001, the Banshee in the Kitchen energy is contagious. Some Celtic projects are delivered with earnest effort, but with little personality. This is not the case on “Even Hotter Water,” an album that gives us excellent musicianship, strong creative achievement and charismatic qualities.  (Joe Ross)