Long since regarded as the faceless master craftsman of Irish contemporary folk music, Jimmy McCarthy no longer has to leave his success-by-association to the likes of Mary Black, Maura O'Connell and Christy Moore.
Whether lack of self-confidence, crippling shyness or some other personality glitch prevented the singer/songwriter from performing his songs, it's encouraging to discover that, whatever it was, he's ridden roughshod over it.
Accompanied by two female backing singers, a couple of guitars and a grand piano (not forgetting the unusual treat of silence from the closed bar), McCarthy opened his lengthy set with No Frontiers. For the next 90 minutes, he sailed through a selection of original material that showcased a winning talent.
While his work occasionally veers too close to the whitewashed banality of MOR, there is nevertheless a quirky, clever dynamic that pulls most of the songs back onto the hard shoulder - a phrase here, a melodic touch there, but more often than not, a notable and singular lyrical approach to songwriting.
New material was showcased amongst the old favourites: West Cork And Kerry People, Shadowy, A Dance As Old As Tears, Wonder Child, Katie, A Hard Man To Follow, The Contender; and many more were prefaced with McCarthy's mixture of subtle humour and insight. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better Irish singer/songwriter of his generation.
Jimmy McCarthy next plays Dublin's HQ on Sunday, September 24th; to book, phone 01-8783345
