It is always interesting to watch artists pursue their muse, to share in the exploration of sight and sound. On her latest recording, Sharon Shannon displays the breadth of her musical universe and some of the potential pitfalls when a musician's journey leads them far from their established repertoire.
Shannon has always taken traditional Irish music as her base, adding a number of influences like the high lonesome bluegrass sound or a rock drumbeat. She is an accomplished fiddler and equally at home on the accordion. On Libertango, she ventures further afield with a tango, a horn section, a song about the suffering of the Palestinian people and a cover of a rock classic. She is joined by guest vocalist Sinead O'Connor on two tracks. Her sister Mary plays banjo and/or mandolin on most of the songs.
The title track is based on a tune from the late Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla with a vocal recorded in 1996 from Kirsty MacColl, who was later killed in a motorboat accident. The performance lacks the depth of emotion found in most of Piazzolla's recordings, weighed down by a mass of instruments and a drum part that fails to capture the feel of the fluid motion of the spirited dance.
The opening track, "The Whitestrand Sling," also seems overdone with piano, Hammond organ, double bass and a three piece horn section backing Shannon on fiddle and Mary on banjo. The melody is overwhelmed by instruments fighting to be heard. A similar fate awaits Shannon's cover of Peter Green's instrumental, "Albatross." The quiet melancholy of the original version gets lost in competing instruments. "An Phailistin" is sung in both Egyptian and English, describing the plight of the Palestinians. Again, the emotional weight of the performance is compromised by a five member backing vocal group that bring a lighthearted feel that seems out of place for such a serious subject.
Most of the rest of the disc features Shannon playing a mix of jigs and reels in a more traditional style. These seven tracks are played with conviction, with the instruments working in concert to highlight the various melodies. This is territory that Shannon is comfortable with and the change in the sound is immediately noticeable. The instrumental "Hogs and Heifers" combines a jig, reel and polka. Shannon starts it off on the low whistles, then joining in with her fiddle with Jim Murray's overdubbed guitars and Mary on banjo for a lively romp.
O'Connor takes the lead vocal on "Anachie Gordon," a traditional tale of love that can never be that originated in Scotland. Her singing, alternately defiant and delicate, is framed by Shannon's accordion.
The closing track is a real puzzler - it mixes the rap vocals of Marvel on a pop tune with a Caribbean beat that is a far cry from any other track on the disc.
Sharon Shannon can take her art in any direction she cares to, which she certainly does on this collection. Her attempts to explore sounds beyond Irish music do not ring true. Perhaps she needs to spend more time assimilating these styles into her musical palette. The other half of the disc proves that Shannon can create marvelous music when she plays from the tradition. These tracks make this recording worth purchasing.
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