Folk Tale Sony ****

Tempering his creative urges with a rare kind of consideration, Ireland's greatest living folk singer-songwriter once again draws from a well of new tunes and old material. The title track (with a lyric written by poet Paula Meehan), Tyrone Boysand Farmer Michael Hayeshave been cajoled out of retirement, while the likes of On Morecombe Bay(Kevin Littlewood), Haiti(co-written with John Spillane) and Weekend in Amsterdam(Paul McCormack/Barney Rush) are more recent additions. Unsurprisingly, these and Moore's own compositions (including Ballydine, God Womanand Easter Snow) fuse organically, creating a mix that is equal parts deathly serious and ripely comic: from songs to make you ponder life's misery ( On Morecombe Bay) to songs that will make you laugh ( My Little Honda 50, Weekend in Amsterdam). Moore, a master craftsman, has done it again. See christymoore.com

Download tracks: Folk Tale, My Little Honda 50, On Morecombe Bay, Weekend in Amsterdam