Latest releases reviewed
SHANNON MCNALLY Geronimo Back Porch ****
The alert may recall this is Ms McNally's second outing this year, having already contributed a sweet mini-album of country duets with Neal Casal. But this second album is something different, a more meaty affair. McNally is one of the hot new kids on the block, a woman with a mission, a New Yorker transplanted to the South who is a cross between Lucinda Williams and Michelle Shocked. These are songs that highlight difference, mourn past mistakes, personal and political, and carry enough passion and flair to convert the coldest heart. Her voice stirs with righteous and impatient anger or turns soft and seductive when the pace slows. Getting hold of this album took a little effort, but it was worth it. A little rough, a little wild, McNally is something special. www.shannonmcnally.com
Joe Breen
DARDEN SMITHField of Crows Dualtone Records ****
PAmerican songwriter Darden Smith has been there or thereabouts for some time, cruising around the edges of fame but maintaining his own pace and easy roots-influenced style. Field of Crows won't change that, but it is a lovely and loveable album that warms the heart with each listen. Smith said he was listening to albums like Jackson Browne's The Pretender and Neil Young's Harvest while writing these personal/ political songs, and their influence - particularly Browne's - is clear throughout, especially on such tracks as the outstanding Fight for Love and Golden Age. The playing is empathic and quietly creative; nothing seems hurried. There is a lot of pain to be worked through, but ultimately, as Smith wanted, this is an affirmation of life, albeit with more a gentle shrug than a loud smile. www.dardensmith.com
Joe Breen
MAURA O'CONNELL A View from Here Third Floor Ltd ***
Distance can breed either contempt or burgeoning affection, and Maura O'Connell's latest release, gathering the very best of' her repertoire over the past quarter century, is far from a soft-focus snapshot of times past. It's a clear-eyed distillation of a career that started out with fireworks when she debuted with De Danann in 1981. From the irrepressible and unapologetic paddywhackery of Irish Molly-O to her prized ownership of Charlie McGettigan's Feet of a Dancer, O'Connell burrows deep beneath the skin of the song. Only when she strays towards the middle of the road (Spinning Wheel) do those filigree vocal cords begin to falter. But such drifting is shortlived, and O'Connell's compass is overwhelmingly accurate in its navigation. Excavating roots not always her own, but never short of emotional intelligence. www.mauraoconnell.com.
Siobhán Long
