Moonchild

by Dave SlegerBearing little or no resemblance to their rockin' '80s band Mama's Boys, Celtus is the new and improved sound of brothers John McManus and Pat McManus. With featured instrumentation like uilleann pipes, low whistle, bouzouki, and fiddle coupled with dreamy, layered keyboards, Celtus comes across like a "Celticized" Mike Batt or a beefier Clannad. Actually Celtus aren't ripping off any artists, but after a lengthy layoff of ten years (partly to deal with the passing of a third brother and ex-Mama's Boy, Tommy McManus) it's a bit curious to see them re-emerge aboard the timely Celtic bandwagon. In all fairness, since they're from Ireland this metamorphosis seems less contrived. They do fill a void, however, for Celtic music fans who are underwhelmed with Clannad and Loreena McKennitt. They also don't necessarily ascribe to the rollicking sounds of Great Big Sea or the overt pop tendencies of the Corrs.