That’s the great thing about folk culture – you can just succumb to the fact that all the great songs have already been written and have your own go at them. Now when I saw the title of this album and the image of O’Brien as a child which adorns the cover I’ll admit that I was terrified of what awful abominations might lie within. But when all is said and done, this is a beautifully sung and performed collection. Traditional songs like ‘All My Trials’ and ‘The Lakes Of Pochartrain’ have been done many times before, but there’s a great tremolo in O’Brien’s voice which lets them live anew (she’s a little like Karen Carpenter with backbone) and the understated production and expert musical performances (featuring the likes of Paddy Maloney from The Chieftains) mean that she takes few wrong turns. Even when she covers the Beach Boys, Harry Chapin or Bob Dylan (‘You Aint Goin’ Nowhere’) she doesn’t go wrong. Why? It’s just great stuff really.
Key Track: ‘The Lakes of Ponchartrain’