This week's roots releases reviewed
iDon't Hurry for Heaven! Tin Angel Records ****
So this is what young love sounds like today: coquettish, tempting, warmly familiar, silly, longing, happy, intimate. Pretty much as it always has sounded. Devon Sproule strikes these notes and then some more in this delightfully loose- limbed paean to her beloved, who just happens to be producer Paul Curreri. Boy, must his face have been red at times. Sproule is a much-touted new folkie from Virginia, and this homely, slightly kooky collection will do her growing reputation no harm. There's a sense of summer and a hum of love about these light melodies played by a fine band in a lo-fi atmosphere. Sure, it possibly goes over the top at times in that we-were-poor-but- happy hippy-dippy way, but Sproule, who plays at the Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots festival this weekend, is an engaging and intriguing artist. www.devonsproule.com JOE BREEN
Download tracks: Ain't That the Way, Healthy Parents, Happy Couple, Good to Get Out
Let It Ride Bray Vista Records(www.brayvista.com) ****
It's strange the way country has never really worked for bands outside of the US. There are lots of contenders, sure, but few that really convince. Well, you can add this nine-piece collective from the eponymous north Wicklow town to that winner's list. This is Bray Vista's second album and their first to be produced by Nashville hotshot Jim Lauderdale (along with Leo Parson). Lauderdale brings a professional sheen to playing, singing and harmonies, but it is Neil Tobin's songs, endearingly doleful and laden with longing and regret or packed with pastiche, that set this unit apart. The overly democratic nature of vocal duties (everyone seems to get a chance) remains a problem, but Alison Byrne and Tobin himself are assured in their different styles. As, indeed, is the band's playing. Of the 12 tracks, Someone to Hold, the country gospel of the title track and the simple, beautiful If You Willare really impressive. www.brayvista.com JOE BREEN
Download tracks: If You Will, Let It Ride
