The latest CD releases reviewed

GERALDINE BRADLEY From the Rising Spring/Cloch Fhuaráin No label ****

In the right hands, songs seep into the soul, excavating its depths with more alacrity than the best psychiatrist. Armagh singer Geraldine Bradley's voice has a visceral quality, burrowing beneath the skin of a song and unearthing its essence while not trying too hard.

Her appetite is refreshingly catholic as well, stretching from the taboo subject of familial desire on Fill Fill a Shagairt, soaked in a glorious northern cadence, to the murderous gentility of Henry Lee, which she wisely bathes in harmonies that Ralph Stanley would surely have approved of.

Bradley's vocal confidence ebbs and flows throughout this collection, cushioned and buffeted by producer Neil Martin's judicious use of cello and other strings.

Solo, she shines too, particularly on A Bhean Udaí Thall - a naked, suitably dessicated thing of beauty. www.geraldinebradley.com - SIOBHÁN LONG

JIM MCKILLOP Tribute No label ***

Antrim fiddler Jim McKillop's fluent, swinging style has always set him apart.

This collection is an attempt to encompass much of what he loves best, from the sentiment-laden Mary of the Curling Hair to the revival of Aislean an Oigfear, based on a 1792 performance of the air, to Danny Boy, with expressive guitar accompaniment from Pat Conroy.

McKillop doffs his cap to Django Reinhart, Seán Ó Riada, Fritz Kreisler and Ry Cooder in between some pristine tunes of his own (of which Trip to Redhills is a standout). Still, the abundance of riches leaves the palate gasping for simplicity at times.

In truth, a less generous player would have held back half of the 23 tracks for another recording, and perhaps less would have been more - the mood drifts towards high camp at times. www.kmckillop.com - SIOBHÁN LONG