This sadly posthumous album of duets features artists Christie knew or worked alongside over the years, and most of it was courageously recorded while he was very ill. The stature of the collaborators says much about the esteem in which Hennessy was held, both as a man and as a gifted songwriter and performer.
Nizlopi’s Luke Concannon joins him for the whimsical ‘Don’t Forget Your Shovel’, Christy Moore and Luka Bloom bring a wistfulness to ‘When Will We Learn’ and Moya Brennan’s fragile vocal adds pathos on ‘I Will Never Love Again’. The occasion brings out the best in Ronan Keating on ‘Someone Else’s Son’ and there’s something especially poignant about the jolly duet with his daughter Hermione on the countrified ‘Getting Over You’.
There are also heartfelt contributions from Frances Black, Paul Brady, Tommy Fleming Mary Black and others. The result is a fitting tribute to a man who never allowed his talent or his achievements to overshadow his decency as a human being.

KEY TRACK: ‘WHEN WILL WE LEARN’