TRADITIONAL

Latest CD releases reviewed

ANDREW MURRAY
Hell or High Water Claddagh
***

Inisbofin singer Andrew Murray's voice is rooted somewhere south of Tasmania. It's the most curious of instruments, balancing gravitas beyond its years with a taste for adventure that sees it tackling borrowings from Richard Thompson and Tom Waits with the same nonchalance visited upon the traditional Lord Franklin. Murray's strength lies in his interpretive ability, which favours plainsong over curlicued adornment. Producer Gavin Ralston affords him just the right space in which to soar, his clean lines an ideal backdrop for Murray's sculpted vocals, particularly on Dougie MacLean's Another Story. The telling of the tale is what matters, and Murray recounts each with a canny ear for precision. A momentary lapse results in the florid Green Grows the Laurel, a feathery folly at odds with its 11 chiselled companions. www.whitewatermusic.com

Siobhán Long