In a Garden Walking Claddagh Records ***

The seven ages of man are writ large on this solo debut from west Cork folk singer Jim O'Donnell. A retired furniture designer, O'Donnell finally has the time to gather a baker's dozen of songs worthy of a recording studio. Although he is a veteran of the Cork folk scene and a former member of Paddy's Goatskin and String Band, O'Donnell's voice can trace circuitous routes through his chosen songs. But he makes up for occasional flat notes by passionately investing in each story and letting the lyrics do the talking. The down-home quality of this recording doesn't undermine its immediacy, but plays to O'Donnell's charisma. The songs sometime buckle under the weight of their inherited baggage ( The Galway Shawl), but others glisten in the heat of his freshly laundered delivery. Opening track Bohemian Dreamsmight well epitomise Jim O'Donnell's modus vivendi: live and let live – with gusto. See jimodonnell music.com