The upswell of interest in Ireland’s vast repertoire of ballads and folk-songs continues. With some 30 records to his name, for his latest, Patsy Watchorn has decided to pay tribute to some of his favourite songs. Tackling Ewan MacColl’s ‘Dirty Old Town’ and Paddy Kavanagh’s ‘Raglan Road’, Watchorn’s full-bodied, rough-hewn voice evokes the late great Luke Kelly, while also containing a subtlety that sets him apart from the cruder exponents of the craft of ballad-singing.
He brings that quality to bear on his rich reading of ‘Dublin In The Rare Auld Times’ and ‘The Foggy Dew’. Still, he can rowdy it up when he fancies, as on the bawdy ‘Monto’, complete with background street sounds. Lizzy and Philo fans will be intrigued by his take on ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, authentically restored to its original musical environment.
The sparse accompaniment, consisting largely of restrained guitar and banjo tricked out with the occasional fiddle solo, allows maximum space for Watchorn’s voice. This new collection will serve as an introduction to the genre for ballad virgins, while also appealing to aficionados. He certainly has a lot of influential admirers, including Bono, Sean Penn and members of The Dubliners and the Dublin City Ramblers.