Actually I’m just looking for a few buying pointers. I know Earl Hitchner’s list will be on-line eventually and I know there are various other lists floating around, but this seemed like a timely question on C&F. Editorial comments are welcome.
A few that i have and like are (in no particular order)
Téada - Inné Amárach (Yesterday Tomorrow)
Mícheál ó Raghallaigh Inside Out
Sharon Shannon and Big Band -(Only occasionally trad, but a big fun mess of live music)
Kitty Hayes and Peter Laban - They’ll Be Good Yet
Previous spin somewhat drifting around the subject without really taking off. Worth having another shot at it.
Peter mentinoed the Raineys in the other thread… I just got that one and am floored by it, although it seems like someone went overboard in “denoising” the recording… I would rather have heard some of the noise than the abundance of digital noise removal artifacts all over it.
Sadly, I googled for contact info for the man who made the original recording and found his obituary from January 8th, 2007. I don’t have his name handy or I’d look it up again and post the link.
The Raineys can be heard about 43 minutes into this program: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/therollingwave/rams/2006/6december.smil
i know i’ve offered some 2006 faves on a similar thread somewhere, but it apparently isn’t the one linked to here, so:
breda keville (fiddle): the hop down. lovely old east galway/clare stuff, including several paddy fahy selections and a rendition of the bobby casey-composed “hairy-chested frog.”
martin o’brien (concertina): An Crann Carraige, concertina melodies from tuomgraney, east clare. sparely ornamented, unhurried east clare music, flows in the mary macnamara style.
junior crehan: the last house at ballymote. double cd, includes session clips with crehan family members plus bobby casey. say no more.
kitty hayes & peter laban (concertina & pipes): they’ll be good yet. concertina & pipes. old clare music, played like it oughta be.
These three are great 2006 releases:
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh - ‘Daybreak: Fáinne an Lae’. Great voice and a very good whistle and flute player. There’s some songs and tunes from the CD on her MySpace page
Flook - Haven
Solas - Reunion: A Decade of Solas
(Ok, the last two aren’t necessarily the “purest drop”, but they’re great CD’s 
)
The ones I’ve lately dug up and listened to are:
Eliot Grasso: Standing Room Only -
A superb piper with ridonkulously good fingers. There are some tracks in particular that show off his genius.
David Power: My Love is in America -
Probably the most sophisticated playing style I’ve really listened to yet. He’s what I put in when I want something more substantial to listen to. A very pleasant crunch.
John McSherry and Donal O’Connor: Tripswitch -
Given the cold, snowy nights I’ve often had in the car, there are some tracks, like Muinera d’Anton, that really capture that mood perfectly. It’s a very relaxing CD that requires you to be in a patient, calm mood for some of the slower tracks.
Lúnasa: Lúnasa -
What is quite possibly my favorite CD of all time. It is the most fiery rendition of the jigs and reels I have often heard, and once you hear it, you will understand. I mean it. Every single track just seethes passion.