Too bad you can't see the bodhrans, mandolins, bouzoukis and uilleann pipes. It's hard to create an authentic Irish sound when you cross over into symphonic music. But if it's Irish melodies that move you, the Cincinnati Pops' A Celtic Spectacular offers a wide-ranging mix of traditional and pop.

        Just missing St. Patrick's Day, A Celtic Spectacular hits stores today.

        Erich Kunzel and the Pops share the album with heady company: The Chieftains, Irish flutist James Galway and John McDermott, formerly one of The Irish Tenors. Only trouble is, all are dubbed over the Pops soundtrack, and the result is not the most spontaneous of music making.

        That honor goes to a local band, Silver Arm, whose “Irish Party in the Third Class” from Titanic emerges as the freshest and most ebullient music on this disc.

        The Chieftains, who appeared at Riverbend in July with the Pops, contribute one number, Paddy Moloney's ""Chasing the Fox,” a spirited takeoff on the sport of fox hunting.

        The inimitable Mr. Galway picks up his pennywhistle and flute for “Simple Gifts,” a souped-up arrangement of the Shaker Tune that begins in echoey slow motion. Mr. Galway performs his ruffles and flourishes against a heavy beat as the tune gathers steam.

        Mr. McDermott, who possesses a beautiful lyric tenor and a believable Irish accent (his Irish-Scottish family emigrated to Canada in the '60s) contributes three numbers.

        “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra (That's an Irish Lullaby)” has lump-in-the-throat nostalgia, and the tenor nails the final high note impressively. He's a winning storyteller in “A Little Bit of Heaven,” and his signature song, “Danny Boy,” is poignant and emotional against the Pops' strings.

        The disc's 16 numbers are filled out with pop tunes from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance on Broadway, with authentic color provided by fiddler Liz Knowles and Kieran O'Hare on uilleann pipes and whistles.

        But a relentless beat thumps through the dance music, and the Pops plays background much of the time. The orchestra shines, though, in two Leroy Anderson arrangements, “The Last Rose of Summer,” sweetly played by concertmaster Timothy Lees, and the familiar jig, “The Irish Washerwoman,” with deft playing from the flute section.

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