How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
Beautiful renditions of traditional songs . Fantastic powerful singing .
Disadvantages:
None .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
On Sean-nos Nua Sinead O'Connor has tapped into the great wealth of Irish folk songs to find a superb selection and then stamped her own unique style on them. On the sleeve notes she explains that this is the album she has always wanted to make and she has obviously given it a lot of her attention.
This album reaffirms Sinead O'Connor as one of the greatest female singers of our time. She uses her voice with both soft and gentle beauty and immense power.
If you like Irish folk music you will like this as the songs are classics, but you probably haven't heard them done quite like this before - be prepared for a pleasant surprise.
If you like Sinead O'Connor's previous work you will not be disappointed either as here her voice is as great as ever and this album is as good if not better than anything she has done before.
If you are new to Sinead O'Connor and have no great affinity to Irish Folk try it anyway. If you like a beautiful song there are many of these here. And they are not presented in the 'finger in the ear' nasal folk style that may have put you off Irish songs before.
Also Sinead has collected together some top Irish musicians. There is Ireland's formeost bouzouki player Donal Lunny, Steve Wickham of the Waterboys on fiddle and Sharon Shannon on accordion. The instrumental backings on all of the songs are superb.
The tracks are as follows:-
1. Peggy Gordon The album starts with the soft breathy style that O'Connor often employs. This is a beautiful rendition of this classic song.
2. Her mantle so green The rather odd story of a man who returns from war to meet his sweetheart but hides his identity and pretends he has died. Weird lyric but a beautifully bouncy tone to Sinead's voice here. Another great song, superbly rendered.
3. Lord Franklin The sad story of an explorer lost in the Arctic. Hauntingly beautiful.
4. Singing bird This is a very cute song. Yet again Sinead does this superbly.
5. Oro se do bheatha 'bhaile An Irish classic sung in the Irish tongue. Sinead really spits this one out and proves the great range of her singing ability. This is an Irish warrior song and it certainly feels like it here. The song is presented with an almost reggae feel to it. You'll soon find yourself singing along to this one even though it is in Irish.
6. Molly Malone This is a song known to everybody and is often trivialised. Here Sinead sings it is a slow and mournful style with a distinctly haunting feel to it.
7. Paddy's lament Another classic, fantastically sung. The sad story of an Irishman emigrating to America only to find the horrors of war.
8. Moorlough shore Yet another beautiful song. Stirring stuff.
9. Parting glass A lovely beat to this one. Not such a well known song but very skillfully done.
10. Baidin fheilimi A jolly little song sung in Irish.
11. My lagan love This is my favourite on this album by far. This is a very well known song that has been done by many singers. A notable version was by Van Morrison on his album with the Chieftains. However, I have never heard it done anything like this. This is really powerful stuff and every time I listen to it I am moved to smile at the intensity of it's presentation. If you don't like this you have no soul!
12. Lord Baker This is a very long (11 minutes) and very slow song. It is done as a duet with the great Christy Moore. At first I felt it was a bit too slow and a bit too long but after repeated listenings I am impressed by it's subtlety.
13. I'll tell me ma The album finishes up with this jolly little song. This has also been done by many others but Sinead stamps her unique style on it here.
More details
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Outstanding
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Sinead O'Connor's wayward career, an album composed of songs extracted from the bottomless well of traditional Irish folk song. Indeed, as many have proved in the pas...
Sean Nos Nua -
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O'Connor's wayward career, an album composed of songs extracted from the bottomless well of traditional Irish folk song. Indeed, as many have proved in the past,...
