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Although Ireland has undoubtedly produced some of the most vivacious, energetic traditional music in the world, it has to be said that a large number of its people want to hear something that takes a more middle of the road path. Hence the huge success of the sisters Black, Mary and Frances. The highlights of Frances's five solo albums are collected here. The sound is slick and polished throughout; her interpretations of a range of material bearing a trademark feel. The influence of American music on the Irish muse is evident throughout--there are two songs from Nanci Griffith and a distinct country twang on several others. "When You Say Nothing At All" popped up a good few years before Ronan Keating got his hands on it and there are writers as diverse as the Bee Gees and Mark Nevin on show, the latter's spirited "Fear is the Enemy" being a highlight. Only once does Black let her slightly too-perfect front drop and give a nod to her more earthy roots. A special bonus track comes in the form of Ewan McColl's "Legal Illegal" and it's nothing short of a revelation, the singer ripping into the unaccompanied vocal and politically charged lyrics as if her life depended on it. Here's hoping that Frances Black can come up with more of the same in the future.
Track listing:
1. You Will Miss Me
2. On Grafton Street
3. Send Him A Letter
4. Talk To Me
5. When You Say Nothing At All
6. Don't Be A Stranger
7. All The Lies That You Told Me
8. Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor
9. Love Me
10. That's How You Know It's Love
11. The Sky Road
12. Everybody Loves A Lover (Duet with Kieran Goss)
13. Wall Of Tears
14. Fear Is The Enemey
15. Once You Said You Loved Me
16. After The Ball
17. Legal Illegal (Bonus Track)
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