Irish music fills the air in New York City

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, music fired by ballads, jigs and reels is having another American moment.

Last month, the all-female act Celtic Woman opened at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Music Chart (and No. 13 on the pop chart). Two weeks later, the Chieftains, one of the prime exporters of Irish song, released an all-star disk to celebrate their 50th (!) anniversary. And, just this week, Bruce Springsteen issued an album (“Wrecking Ball”) fired, in key part, by Celtic lilts, as well as ones heard in that genre’s popular American offspring: Appalachian folk.

This isn’t an isolated surge.

Every 10 years, or so, the U.S. goes gaga for an Irish brogue.

In 1961, the Clancy Brothers appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” escalating the folk revival of the day while setting off a fashion trend with their trademark white wool sweaters. In 1975, the Chieftains enjoyed a huge hit with the “Barry Lyndon” soundtrack, causing a run on their entire catalogue. And, in the ’80s, Enya sold millions by merging Irish sounds with, of all things, New ge music.

Continuing the commercial, if not necessarily artistic, escalation of all things Celtic, the ’90s saw “Riverdance” explode into a worldwide franchise, while by 1997, pennywhistles became the rage of the airwaves via Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme from “Titanic.”

In this decade, Celtic Woman (brainstormed by the same guy who created “Riverdance”), began a run of six hit albums, leading to their latest chart triumph.

To be sure, critics view some of these acts as rank bastardizations of the Celtic ethic. But supporters of Irish culture can’t help but take pride in what these successes say about the endurance of the sound, as well as the music’s ability to keep assuming new attention-getting guises.

Surely, that spirit which will rule this St. Patrick’s Week. No fewer than 10 major, green-themed concerts will take place in the city, representing just as many mutations on venerable forms, like the murder ballad and the wedding waltz.

Here’s a look:

CELTIC WOMAN

Where and When: Radio City Music Hall, Sunday, 8 p.m.

Sound and Style: Celts go Vegas, or worse, travel to Branson. These decorative women dress in evening gowns while warbling daintily through either historic pieces or newer, sentimental ones, like “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Small wonder they’re wildly popular.

THE SAW DOCTORS

Where and When: The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, N.J.), Thursday, 7 p.m.; Irving Plaza (17 Irving Place), Friday, 7 p.m.

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Jim Farber’s Top Ten in music for week of March 11

1) The Lijadu Sisters “Danger” and “Mother Africa” : By now, you know all about Fela. Next, you should check out his cousins, the Lijadu Sisters, who also emerged from Nigeria in the ’70s with an Afro-meets-psychedelic sound, heard on four classic albums. The first two have now been reissued: “Danger,” the rockier of the two, sung in English, and “Mother Africa,” a more trad CD, sung in Yoruba. Both disks match the Sisters’ close, conversational harmonies to beats that undulate gorgeously.

2) Caetano Veloso and David Byrne “Live at Carnegie Hall” : David Byrne deserves credit for introducing many benighted Americans to the sumptuous lilts of seminal Brazilian artist Caetano Veloso through several ’90s compilations on his Luaka Bop label. In 2004, Veloso returned the favor by inviting Byrne to split a bill with him at Carnegie Hall. Amazingly, Veloso’s rapturous work works well with Byrne’s jerkier style, providing a sweet and telling contrast.

3) Macy Gray “Covered” : Ironically, Macy Gray has found her most serious voice by covering the songs of others. They range from a sinister run at Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again” to a take on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” that’s both funky and graceful.

4) Andrew Bird “Break It Yourself” : Bird’s violin work has a beauty, and formality, ideally suited to his boyish voice.

5) Ana Tijoux “La Bala”: Rappers who sing seldom do both well. But Chile’s Ana Tijoux has a voice that’s fluid and a rapping style of genuine force.

6) Lyle Lovett “Release Me” : Lovett’s latest finds its sweet spot in a loving duet with k.d lang on the title track. Also of note: his rocking revival of Jesse Winchester’s obscure blues gem “Isn’t That So.”

7) Galactic “Carnivale Electricos” : New Orleans’ funk meets Rio’s samba on the latest disk from Galactic. The result? An international party.

8) Tennis “Young & Old” : Singer Alaina Moore has a Lulu-like, girlish purity to it that adds winsome lilt to songs blessed with a ’60s pop snap.

9) Robert Glasper Experiment “Black Radio” : At the hinge of hip-hop and jazz lies pianist Robert Glasper. His latest, sprawling effort creates a radio station of the mind, full of cameos from the likes of Erykah Badu and Lupe Fiasco, together creating a fresco of riffs and rhymes.

10) The Kaiser Chiefs “Start the Revolution Without Me” : Lots of bands went ’80s-crazy five years ago. But on their fifth disk, the Kaiser Chiefs continue to make that retro strategy seem more individual and catchier than any of their peers.

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