CountryHe's a rhinestone cowboy all right, and at a leathery 63 shows no signs of retiringSat Oct 09 1999 - 01:00
AcousticIn Britain, Joan Armatrading (left) is the blueprint for the soul-searching female singer/songwriterSat Oct 02 1999 - 01:00
CountryIt's the stuff of archetypal tear-sodden country music songs - single mother drops out of high school, raises two children, waits…Sat Sept 25 1999 - 01:00
Brian Kennedy - Vicar StreetThere was more to this than meets the eye, but before we get to Brian Kennedy we just have to mention support act Juliet Turner…Thu Sept 23 1999 - 01:00
Folk/RockMary Black's success shows no signs of diminishing, which says more for her dogged persistence and obvious popularity than any…Sat Sept 18 1999 - 01:00
Mark Eitzel, BrianLast Saturday evening in the Temple Bar Music Centre was a male-dominated gathering of downbeat people, bereft of love and losers…Mon Sept 13 1999 - 01:00
TradThis paper described Cran's 1998 release, Black, Black, Black, as "challenging"Sat Sept 11 1999 - 01:00
The CharlatansThe second gig of the Transmissions series of New Digital Sounds might have been more grounded than the first (Flaming Lips on…Thu Sept 02 1999 - 01:00
An equal opportunity eroticism entertainerIt might not have the kudos and pulling power of other major blues festivals, but the Monaghan-based Harvest Time Blues Festival…Sat Aug 28 1999 - 01:00
The guitar is the attitudeBlues guitarist Mick Taylor, noted esteemed rock writer Robert Palmer, was the most accomplished technician who had ever served…Sat Aug 28 1999 - 01:00
The Brady punchAn effective chronicler of mid-life turmoil, Paul Brady is a master of the tough acoustic guitar songSat Aug 21 1999 - 01:00
Richard Thompson - HQFor a man with such a body of work behind him, narky old Richard Thompson tested the audience with up to six songs from his soon…Wed Aug 11 1999 - 01:00
Folk/RootsAlways the critics' favourite and never the huge commercial entity he should rightly be, Richard Thompson (left) initially forged…Sat Aug 07 1999 - 01:00
Blind Boys of AlabamaJust when you thought the Blues Festival weekend couldn't get any better, along comes The Blind Boys of AlabamaMon Jul 26 1999 - 01:00
Screamin' Jay HawkinsOn Friday evening, amidst sweltering heat and the push of a packed house, Jalacy (Screamin' Jay) Hawkins strolled onstage at …Mon Jul 26 1999 - 01:00
Nina SimoneIf you wanted to be placed on the edge of your seat, not knowing whether you were going to sit back comfortably or fall headfirst…Mon Jul 26 1999 - 01:00
TradAt times, it has seemed De Dannan was more a launching pad for Irish singers than anything elseSat Jul 24 1999 - 01:00
FolkNow out on her own, following a long stint in Throwing Muses, Alabama-born Kristen Hersh is generally perceived as a kooky singer…Sat Jul 17 1999 - 01:00
FestivalsFirmly entrenched in the Irish festival calendar as the biggest and best blues event of the year, it seems that the Dublin-based…Sat Jul 17 1999 - 01:00
Shania Twainother 9,999 people sardine-packed into the broiling RDS Simmonscourt on Saturday evening, it was akin to the Second Coming.Mon Jul 12 1999 - 01:00
So just who is Michael Stipe?So how exactly does a shy art student with poor skin and intriguing hair become an international pop star? How does a guy who…Sat Jul 10 1999 - 01:00
Ron SexsmithThe world might think it doesn't need yet another singer/songwriter but it has one in the bulky frame of Ron Sexsmith whether…Fri Jul 09 1999 - 01:00
Al GreenHow can living legends overcome the demands of their history? By being as good as or better than what we have read about them…Wed Jul 07 1999 - 01:00
FolkA rare concert in these parts, the pairing of husband and wife Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson (left) is an inspired commercial…Sat Jul 03 1999 - 01:00
Marianne FaithfullShe's been around a block or three, but there's something about the perceived myth of Marianne Faithfull that has some semblance…Tue Jun 29 1999 - 01:00
RootsVery much an unknown quantity as a performer on this side of the Atlantic, roots artist Beth Nielsen Chapman is the writer behind…Sat Jun 26 1999 - 01:00
CountryBelonging to that difficult-to-classify strain of alternative country bands, Boston's Willard Grant Conspiracy (above) originally…Sat Jun 19 1999 - 01:00
CountryLooked at in a cynical light, US Country sensations, Dixie Chicks, are little more than old news dressed up in tight clothes …Sat Jun 12 1999 - 01:00
FolkHe's seen fire and he's seen rain, he's seen sunny days that he thought would never end, but still James Taylor soldiers onSat Jun 12 1999 - 01:00
Lucy KaplanskyA psychologist in another life, Chicagoan Kaplansky plants herself firmly on the stage, accompanied by a guitar, a mic-stand …Wed Jun 09 1999 - 01:00
Suzanne VegaOften perceived as the ice queen of singer/songwriters (coolly ironic, archly executed, fastidiously literate), Suzanne Vega …Tue Jun 08 1999 - 01:00
FolkPerceived throughout her career as an icy, ironic and literate songwriter, time and critical perspective has been kind to Suzanne…Sat Jun 05 1999 - 01:00
TraditionalFor a commercial traditional band who, in a live context, play it straight enough through excellent instrumentation and non-existent…Sat Jun 05 1999 - 01:00
From cutting hair to cutting recordsThe tonsorial arts have played quite an important part in the stylistic development of rock musicSat Jun 05 1999 - 01:00
Jack LIt's a measure of the energy and talent of Jack L that he can start with the proto-psycho rock of Howl At The Moon and still …Mon May 31 1999 - 01:00
FolkThe term alt country is not so much stretched as analysed in the case of Lucy Kaplansky (right)Sat May 29 1999 - 01:00
BluesIf anything has plagued the mercurial Buddy Guy down through the years, it has been his tendency to play to the gallerySat May 29 1999 - 01:00
The ultra-cool culchieOne hates to start an article with something approximating a cliche, but Jack Lukeman (aka Jack L) has the voice of a dark, avenging…Sat May 22 1999 - 01:00
Eleanor McEvoyWhile Eleanor McEvoy has successfully transformed herself from folk singer ingenue to accomplished AOR songstress, it seems that…Tue May 18 1999 - 01:00
CountryIn the early 1990s, Steve Earle faded from view, his left-wing politics too much for Nashville and his intake of stimulants dragging…Sat May 15 1999 - 01:00
Down so long, it looks like upIf there is a word that describes The 4 Of Us, from Newry, it's resourcefulSat May 15 1999 - 01:00
PopularHe might be currently languishing in the commercial doldrums, but Lloyd Cole's critical credibility shows no signs of diminishing…Sat May 15 1999 - 01:00
ZrazyThey've been around the block once or thrice, but Zrazy are still hanging in there, gently spouting their message of "let there…Mon May 10 1999 - 01:00
WorldIt's quite likely most Western ears became familiar with the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (right) through…Sat May 01 1999 - 01:00
RootsThe second year of the Kilkenny Country Roots Weekend, which kicks off on Friday, is a textbook example of how to get events …Sat Apr 24 1999 - 01:00
JazzChick Corea has been charged with inconsistency throughout his three decades-plus career, but his status as one of the leading…Sat Apr 17 1999 - 01:00
CountryWhen they arrived on the jaded music scene in the early 1980s, US band Jason and The Scorchers were looked upon as a dissonant…Sat Apr 17 1999 - 01:00
The StylisticsFor Seventies' suede-heads and soul boys, The Stylistics were one of the best falsetto-led vocal groups, ranking with the likes…Thu Apr 15 1999 - 01:00
