Moya Brennan: Nollaig Gaelach - The first lady of Celtic music corners her market

Now that Clannad have officially called time on their remarkable career, Moya Brennan is free to fully indulge her solo material. This is actually a return to an earlier part of Brennan’s solo life: in 2005 the Donegal native released An Irish Christmas, a collection of Celtic-inspired recordings of classic and contemporary songs. Eighteen years later, they are due a refresh by the self-styled first lady of Celtic music.

In some ways this feels like a missed opportunity for Brennan, who is now 71 but has retained the vivacity if not the firepower of her voice. All too often the bells, whistles and layered-voice effect (as heard on Bright Star and I Still Believe) smother the song in a kind of stylised nostalgia. That said, this collection largely avoids cliche, although it teeters close to diddly-eye territory on more than one occasion.

The simplicity of Oíche Chiúin is beautiful, as is her Irish-language take on Little Drummer Boy, An Drumadóir, while the buoyant Deck the Halls stays true to the titular remit, exploding into a Celtic reel that is as cheesy as it is toe-tappy. It would have been nice to hear Brennan use her voice to more potent effect, perhaps on better songs and with better production. Still, after decades in the business, she is a musician who knows her market and clearly has it cornered.