Mary Black

Among the finds while I was in Ireland was a collection of Mary Black's music.  I could see she is pre-eminent in the Irish "chanteuse" tradition, i.e., a singer of story and of life.  She sings musically but not decoratively and yet what is produced is beautiful and clear.

This is poetry too!  Sometimes great art is produced when its content is the fruit of distillation -- and indeed much distillation occurs in Ireland.

Much of what one might consider to be Irish music is the product of wistfulness from across the ocean.  Many who left Ireland romanticized about it.  Many also who were dissatisfied with being ruled dreamt of different possibilities or became locked on past hurts.

The talent for amplification is not solely an Irish trait.  Sometimes when we look closer at a thing we see it more clearly, but other times it only becomes larger in our limited imaginations.

Mary Black's music I received as quite mature in its content and I mean humanly mature not TV rating mature.  Combined with fine musicianship and a peerless voice she has been a very pleasant discovery.