Since the partial eclipse of Hothouse Flowers, Liam O Maonlaí has reinvented himself as a solo artist exploring the hinterlands of soulful introspection, world music and sean nós. To Be Touched is a sparse and stimulating collection of often improvised songs centred around O Maonlaí’s voice and piano – and all far removed from the often frenzied rock of his flowered up days.
Both the title-track and ‘What Do We Do Now’ are hypnotically meditative, evoking a calm strength that contrasts with the helter-skelter uncertainty of the modern world. ‘Way Up On A High Hill’ moves up a gear, with stunning guest vocals from Marketa Irglova to match O Maonlaí’s. ‘Worry Not’ has a glorious Dylanesque spiritual feel to it, with O Maonlaí reaching parts he’s rarely visited before. And just when you think it can soar no higher, Irglova pitches in superbly again. ‘Saved’ has melodic cadences that spring from Liam’s roots in the Irish tradition and features guest vocals from Glen Hansard and sprightly double-bass playing from Martin Brunsden. There are two tracks as Gaeilge, ‘Siobhán ní Dhuibhir’ and ‘Amhrán na Feidreachta’, in which the singer makes full use of the musicality of the language, while ‘Mimi Dreaming Song’ exudes the spirits of Aboriginal Australia and Africa.
Several times throughout this uplifting album O Maonlaí goes into Van Morrison-style hypnotic overdrive, as in the word “come” repeated to chilling and thrilling effect on ‘What Do We Do Now’. To Be Touched is a courageous album, one to savour through these grey days.

KEY TRACK: ‘WORRY NOT’