After The Morning's opener, the current single ‘Never In A Million Years’, heightens the feeling of dread that Cara Dillon might bolt for the mainstream and the radio-friendly folk world favoured by her Woman’s Heart contempories.
Thankfully those fears prove unfounded. Where her last album Sweet Liberty floundered as it strived to combine radio pleasers, trad and advanced arrangements, After The Morning succeeds in matching Dillon’s voice with more challenging and, for her, more experimental material. Producer Sam Lakeman, meanwhile, continues to push her sound through interesting and often outstanding instrumental arrangements.
The bluegrass-flavoured ‘I Wish You Well’ conjures new soundscapes for Dillon, while ‘Here’s A Health’ and ‘Brockagh Braes’ should more than please devotees. ‘October Winds’, a mellow acoustic lament, opened by Lakeman’s fine arrangement, affords Dillon the edge which brought her first to prominence, while the duet with Paul Brady on the beautiful ‘The Streets Of Derry’ is a highlight.
Here, Dillon evokes the tender, mournful and emotival qualities of traditional Irish folk music with great success. But the bluegrass and country laments of ‘Walls’ and ‘Grace’ register a fine advance towards fresh musical pastures for the 30 year old Derry singer. The result is her most thoughtful, complete and engaging record yet.