Album Reviews

The prolific, smoky-voiced Irish folk/rock singer Eleanor McEvoy has had an almost twenty year recording career, first on major labels, where she enjoyed mainstream success but after getting caught in an excess of red tape, she extricated herself and began recording for independents.  

A series of well-recorded, impeccably produced albums licensed and issued on vinyl by the UK label Diverse Records has brought her sturdy support within the "audiophile community," though she continues to have a strong international following not connected to sound fanatics.

This is her eighth album (the ninth is due out in September) and if you're not acquainted and you appreciate Irish folk/pop as practiced by Mary Black (in whose band McEvoy once played), among others, consider this one.

It demonstrates McEvoy's pleasing voice and both the strengths and weaknesses of her songwriting. When she's writing about deeper issues, like the darker side of the sunny Irish, or alienation, she's very effective. When she gets "light" as on the title song and on the opener "Look LIke Me," both affirmations for insecure females, it gets a bit treacly for my tastes, but that's me. 

She has a keen sense of melody and when she's effective, she turns good melodic and lyrical lines into effective statements , but she can also be too bouncy and cute at which point the frothiness can test one's patience.

The closer, for example is a cover of Sam Cooke's "Good Times" that sounds as if its intended for kindergartners. It's just too cute! 

Always seeming to save the day to get you past the few tunes that are too bouncy for their own good is the excellent production and sound, though this well pressed record sounds sourced from digital to me. Good digital, but digital nonetheless. It's clean, but a bit dry.