Octo_Russ

Mary Black [Babes In The Wood]

I first heard Mary Black on the radio, i'm sure it was Radio 2, and it was the opening track on this disc, and straightway i went to the Library and hired out a cassette of this album, and of course liked it so much that i bought myself the disc, this was in 1993, it's a lovely Folk / Pop album, and she's got such a wonderful voice, i've tried other albums by her, but they just don't work for me, she isn't a Songwriter herself, she sings other peoples songs, but she really makes them come alive.

Mary Black is Irish, she's now 56, originally she started singing traditional Irish songs, but she developed into more contemporary fare, she recorded this disc in 1991.

Mary Black is very much like a Singer / Songwriter, her solo albums have the feel of being her own work, maybe that's the effect that taking a song and transforming it into her own creation makes, i really enjoyed the songs 1-3, 5, 8-9 & 12, and it's track 8 'Adam At The Window' that i'm always stunned by, the opening has a lovely sparse use of acoustic guitar [Declan Sinnott], and an even more judicious use of the piano [Pat Crowley], but it's Mary Black's delivery that conjures up the sights and smells of the song, 

Adam's at the window

staring at the apple trees on fire

waiting for the windfall

that brings the smile of kings and their desire 

It's in the second verse that the bongos start [Noel Bridgeman], and the music goes up a notch, lovely drizzle of piano [and Pat Crowley really gives the whole album a sense of dappling sunlight], and he plays the piano almost in an ad lib fashion, a smattering here and there to give atmosphere, at the end of the song there's a tease of a fourth verse, but really it's just the opening of the first verse 'Adams at the window'..., and tails off to a close, a nice inventive ending. 

Here's Mary Black singing 'Adam At The Window' on YouTube.