I was really looking forward to getting this release by Brian Kennedy. I've been something of an underground fan for years and was hoping he might record an album of predominantly traditional Irish songs. The opening track 'I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls' joined in unison with Sinead O'Connor starts the project off promisingly enough but by the second track 'The Mountains Of Mourne' I was beginning to have my doubts. You see (although I'm usually into re-working a number to give it a bit more beef as a soloist) I don't believe a performer of his calibre should take liberties shall we say '...for the sake of it'. By turning the song into a fast waltz it waters the effect of the lyrics and with full electric backing plus drums it teeters dangerously close to schlock. Then again, I might have it wrong and at the time Percy French wrote the song it was a fast waltz? Personally speaking I'd rather listen to the American Don McLean's beautifully understated take on it from the 'Playing… more »

I was really looking forward to getting this release by Brian Kennedy. I've been something of an underground fan for years and was hoping he might record an album of predominantly traditional Irish songs. The opening track 'I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls' joined in unison with Sinead O'Connor starts the project off promisingly enough but by the second track 'The Mountains Of Mourne' I was beginning to have my doubts. You see (although I'm usually into re-working a number to give it a bit more beef as a soloist) I don't believe a performer of his calibre should take liberties shall we say '...for the sake of it'. By turning the song into a fast waltz it waters the effect of the lyrics and with full electric backing plus drums it teeters dangerously close to schlock. Then again, I might have it wrong and at the time Percy French wrote the song it was a fast waltz? Personally speaking I'd rather listen to the American Don McLean's beautifully understated take on it from the 'Playing Favourites' album. Good God I'd better be careful, somebody might accuse me of having a little taste. I know - too much to hope for - still it's true even for me to get it wrong sometimes. What I don't expect is for someone of Brian's exceptional qualities to take the patronising road of trying to appeal to as vast an audience as he is capable of getting by jollying up the tune. Surely it would have been better not to include the number at all. Still, the rest of the album does feature some genuinely inventive production strokes like the bodhran driven 'Wild Mountain Thyme' and the Palm Court-ish 'I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen'. For some of you reading this review you might get the feeling I didn't like the album. It's not true it's just that if I boiled it down I'd say there were three duff tracks that I couldn't cope with and I suppose, considering there are seventeen tracks in total Brian still emerges a clear winner.

Pete Fyfe