Album Review: Sharon Shannon – 'The Reckoning'

While our wealth of singer-songwriters and bands have tended to hog the limelight, for 30 years, Sharon Shannon has consistently challenged and complemented their artistry with her unique instrumental skills. Now, The Reckoning sees her escaping metaphorically from Lockdownland to join hands across the planet with an impressive array of quality artists.

The title-track, featuring Jon Allen, has buried within it Shannon’s heavy metal riffing, proof of her willingness to leap over musical boundaries, in a song that bends the knee towards ‘Whisky In The Jar’. It makes for a rough and rowdy knees-up. Before that, she and her merry band lead off with the liltingly tunesome ‘Merry Go Round’, while at a virtual stop-over in the Caribbean, Linton Kwesi Johnson climbs aboard to do his spoken word thing on a reggaefied ‘Mursheen Durkin’.

Deliciously evocative African tones usher in ‘Unlocked’, as two cultures dance together, before twanging guitar notes shine through. ‘The Beast From The East’ blows in loud and furious with hints of the Middle East, while Le Vent Du Nord add a jolly French-Canadian flavour to ‘Refrains d’Irlande’. Elsewhere, Scandi-folk outfit
Dreamers’ Circus add further spice to an already tasty stew via-the plaintive ‘Harmony Hall’.

Along the way Shannon throws shapes a-plenty, as co-producer Craig Mulvagh helps her weave a magic musical carpet. Indeed, there are a myriad of styles, cultures, instruments, voices and influences, not to mention musicians of the calibre of Donal Lunny and Dennis Bovell.

Even if plane travel lights get stuck on red, The Reckoning’s available to whirl you round the dresser and off around the globe.

Listen to the album below.