She probably has resigned herself grimly now to this fact, but Aoife O’Donovan (vocals, guitars, wurlitzer) has a similar kind of voice to Alison Krauss, and there is no other way to say it. So it somehow comes as little surprise that a song of hers, Lay My Burden Down, was recorded by the self-same Alison Krauss.
Not that the O'Donovan lass does not have her own tricks up her own folkie sleeve. The new album from this hugely-talented American musician draws inspiration from her County Cork grandfather who died aged 93, around the time when the album was being written. Recollections of childhood holidays in the Clonakilty area yield the images that abound in her simple but beguiling lyrics. There is even a version of the ancient ballad Donal Óg, with atmospheric grungy guitar sustain as backdrop.
Although it only surfaces here and there - she is at bigger things - O’Donovan has a kind of instinctive bluegrass/Americana sensibility. Indeed, Chris Thile, the acclaimed exponent of a modern, experimental take on bluegrass, is her comrade in arms, supplying mandolin and vocals.
The singer-songwriter studied musical improvisation and it shows, particularly on the zestfully expansive and oddly jubilant The King of All Birds, which is a micro-orchestral gem. The resonant work of clarinet and trombone, of violins, viola and cello animate the piece and make it soar with - dare we say it - Cork vibrancy and brassiness.
O’Donovan has totally discounted any kind of conventionally pale sound, and appealing new angles and rich musicality are what marks her out. Listen to the opener, Stanley Park, with its vaunted melancholia swelling through the song, followed promptly by the very different Magic Hour, which crests and descends in staccato exhilaration. Recommended.
Paddy Kehoe
