ROOTS

Recent releases reviewed

MICK HANLY
Wish Me Well Townsend Records
***

An endearing sense of grizzled experience increasingly marks the work of singer and songwriter Mick Hanly. Like many coasting into middle-age, he is long past the notion of the glass being half-full. His foibles, life's little disappointments and observations are frankly explored in these 11 songs of soft melody and honest craft. He is aided and abetted in no small measure by producer Declan Sinnott's layered yet subtle production; Sinnott's tasteful guitar playing is another bonus. The songs are typically Hanly in tone and texture, but if his measured reflections are not your cup of meat you may make do with wishing him well from a distance. www.mickhanly.com

Joe Breen

ELEANOR SHANLEY & IVAN LEPARR
Another Day's JourneyHummingbird
**

This is an odd combination. De Danann singer Eleanor Shanley teams up with American gospel singer Ivar LeParr for a collection which makes no secret of their spiritual beliefs. As we have made clear many times, while sharing such views is not key to enjoying the music, it doesn't hurt. That said, this is an uneven selection both in content and performance. From Dylan's License to Kill to Que Sera Sera is a distance too far for this listener, while Shanley's voice sounds too unbending and Leparr's too anonymous for many of these songs - songs so well known that comparisons are unflattering. There are exceptions: Shanley's reading of Drifting Too Far From the Shore has real warmth, while LeParr's own Feel the Power conveys compelling conviction. www.hummingbirdrecords.com

Joe Breen