aaamusic | On 04, Feb 2013

Irish folk singer Mary Dillon is the sister of singer Cara Dillon. She’s known for her work with the traditional band Deanta. In 2010 she pursued a solo career with the release of her EP Army Dreamers and she also works as an English teacher at St Cecilia’s College in Derry.

Her debut album North, released on 28th January, 2013 on Back Lane Records, enchantingly reworks classic tunes about love, loss and sadness.

The refreshing album opener When A Man’s In Love is light and breezy and sung with great clarity. Her beautiful, outstanding self composition The Boatman has melody and charm. John Condon, a harrowing story of a teenage boy’s role in World War 1 trenches, delicately tells of the tragedy of a young, wasted life. In the classic ballad The Month of January, about a wronged girl, Mary identifies “the cruelty of the tale channelling the anger and despair of the young woman in the song.”

Gentle guitars merge with fiddles and cellos to create a peaceful and inviting Celtic feel to this album. Mary is a warm and talented artist whose expressive and passionate songs are very moving. Her gorgeous, soaring voice has great energy and vibrancy and it’s marvellous to hear her again. It’s an incredible sound and I wish I’d heard more of it in recent years.

★★★★★

Anthony Weightman