Tears Of Stone

There's a bit of a tendency to take The Chieftains for granted. They, and mainman Paddy Moloney in particular, have been so prolific and have been responsible for so many interesting and varied musical experiments that one album can tend to blur into the next. It's a view that does them an injustice, however. Because throughout a career spanning some thirty-plus years, they've seldom produced an album that was less than excellent.

No matter. There's stuff on Tears Of Stone that's so utterly unforgettable that this is one record which will remain a career standout, whenever the group's legacy is being assessed. A collection of women performers sing a combination of old songs and new with the backing of Paddy and the lads, and assorted guests, and at times the results are positively mesmerising.

In particular there's Joni Mitchell's rivettingly powerful 'The Magdalene Laundries' - a searing statement about the abuse of women who became pregnant outside marriage in Ireland, and about the church's ignoble role in what was an appalling crime against humanity, and against women and children in particular. The song is heart-rending and magnificent, a finely-judged piece that ranks with Mitchell's finest, and the setting provided by The Chieftains is appropriately discreet and fitting.

Sinéad O'Connor does a star turn too on the traditional 'Factory Girl'. With keyboard backing from Patrick Fitzpatrick, it's sparsely arranged, allowing Sinéad's wonderful vocal to shine through and the result is strong and moving.

Of almost equal weight is Bonnie Raitt's superb interpretation of another traditional tune, 'A Stór Mo Chroí'. Raitt's voice is wonderfully warm and mature: a Southern Comfort kind of warmth that gives marvellous resonance to the sentiments of the song.

These are the highlights but there's scarcely a weak moment throughout. Joan Osborne's treatment of 'Raglan Road' is one: this is such a monumental song and she sings it well, but it's more than a shade funereal, and becomes a burden on the tempo of the album.

But with Natalie Merchant, The Rankins, The Corrs, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lorenna McKennit and Akiko Yano from Japan all turning in fine performances, there's a wealth of pleasure to be had here.

You'd want a heart of stone not to be moved.