Foxglove & Fuschia

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh's first solo album in five years sees the former Danú frontwoman returning to her West Kerry roots on the Dingle peninsula in fine, beautifully understated style. Her voice has darkened a touch since 2012's The Small Hours. It's a quality that comes into its own on the keening tale of unrequited love ‘Bean Dubh A’ Ghileanna’ and in the glow of Gerry Byrne's ‘Where Foxglove’, both basking in Dónal O’Connor's cosseting strings. There's a becoming sense of intimacy to the whole, inked in by discretely poetic contributions from the likes of Michael Rooney's delicate harp and John McSherry's evocative uilleann pipes on Frank McGuinness and Shaun Davey's melancholy ‘I Courted a Soldier’, with Séamus Begley lending distinctive vocal support to the lilting duet ‘An Sciobairín’. Interspersed between the songs are well-chosen instrumentals, with Nic Amhlaoibh's father Feargal providing a feisty fiddle to her dancing flute and Pádraig Ó Sé's accordion contributing to the traditional polkas ‘Nelly Cleere's/The Hayden Fancy/Walsh's’. Her own flute playing is exemplary on the reels ‘Ormond Sound/The Torn Jacket’, with husband Billy Mag Fhloinn's bouzouki and former Danú colleague Donnchadh Gough's bodhrán providing lively support. Low-key and relaxed it may be, but Foxglove & Fuschia packs a punch nonetheless.