ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn ɐ nˈuː jˈɔːɹk tˈaɪmz ɹᵻvjˈuːɚ dᵻskɹˈaɪbd hˈeɪz ænd kˈæhɪlz ɐpɹˈoʊtʃ æz "stɹˈɪpɪŋ ˈoʊld ɹˈiːlz ænd dʒˈɪɡz tə ðɛɹ ˈɛsəns, lˈiːvɪŋ spˈeɪs bᵻtwˌiːn ðə nˈoʊts fɔːɹ hɑːɹmˈɑːnɪks ænd wˈɪspɚd blˈuː nˈoʊts," ɹɪzˈʌltɪŋ ˈɪn "ɐ kˈɛltɪk kˈɑːmplɪmənt tə stˈiːv ɹˈaɪxs kwɔːɹtˈɛts ɔːɹ mˈaɪlz dˈeɪvɪsᵻz skˈɛtʃᵻz ʌv spˈeɪn. "
In 1999 a New York Times reviewer described Hayes and Cahill's approach as "stripping old reels and jigs to their essence, leaving space between the notes for harmonics and whispered blue notes," resulting in "a Celtic complement to Steve Reich's quartets or Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain. "