One of Martin Carthy's best collaborative albums, 1992's SKIN & BONE once again matches the guitarist with fiddle legend Dave Swarbrick, a fellow stalwart of the UK folk-rock scene. Both men are playing at the peak of their form, and this is definitely a player's album; aside from a sensitive reading of the ballad "Lucky Wan" (the definitive version of a song Carthy recorded before), the best tunes are rollicking instrumentals. The record is capped off by an outstanding showcase for Swarbrick, the closing medley "Mrs. Bermingham/No. 178/Blind Mary," three tunes originally written by or associated with the legendary Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan, who was basically the Django Reinhardt of his instrument. Swarbrick somehow makes these seemingly impossible transcriptions sound easy and fun, a description that fits the album as a whole.