An Irish institution, and rightly so
Artiste: Mary Black
Nationality: Irish
Album: By the time it gets dark
Year: 1987
Label: Dara
Genre: Folk/Trad
Tracks:
By the time it gets dark
Schooldays over
Once in a very blue moon
Farewell farewell
Sparks might fly
Katie
Leaving the land
There's a time
Jamie
Leaboys lassie
Trying to get the balance right
Chronological position: Fifth album
Familiarity: “No frontiers”
Interesting factoid: Mary was born into a musical family: everyone played in the band.
Initial impression: This woman has the voice of an angel.
Best track(s): By the time it gets dark, Once in a very blue moon, Katie, Leaving the land
Worst track(s): Sparks might fly
Comments: Mary Black is a celebrated and respected musician in Ireland, and throughout the folk and traditional scene, having started her career with The Black Family (her own family) at the age of eight, and with another sister of hers, Frances, having achieved a successful solo career in her own right. Mary has a lovely, gentle and warm voice, and certainly concentrates more on the softer side of the trad scene, this album consisting of songs written by some luminaries in the field --- Jimmy McCarthy, Declan Sinnot etc --- and some traditional arrangements of folk tunes dear to her heart. There's some lovely piano from Pat Crowley, whereas
Schooldays over is a gentle duet with Sinnot on simple acoustic guitar and possibly mandolin.
She tackles a version of a song that appears on, and titles, a Nanci Griffith album next, and though
Once in a very blue moon isn't Nanci's own composition, I always associate it with her, and it's nice to have that link. A gentle little ballad on guitar and accordion, it's somewhat typical of the tone of this album, which is mostly quite laidback and reflective. Sinnot's prowess on the guitar is always understated, but the album would lack much without his vital presence, and indeed he gets to shine the once on the album when he takes centre stage for the instrumental
Jamie, his own composition.
Piano also forms the mainstay of many of the tracks, but it's Mary's powerful yet gentle and soulful voice that really makes the album, as she sings about people and situations that you somehow feel are drawn from personal experience. Even though she doesn't write any of the material, there's a lot of her heart and soul in there, and it's almost like a shared history. We've all been there, she reminds us. Of course the standout is her classic
Katie, one of her best-known songs, a beautiful little wistful love song, with gorgeous interplay between piano and guitar and powerful backing vocals, a smooth little sax break just adding to the atmosphere of this lovely little song.
With a traditional standard and even a version of the late Andy Williams'
Moon river throw in, this album really does highlight Mary at her best, though for me it doesn't edge out “No frontiers”. A great effort though, and well worth a listen.
Overall impression: It's gentle trad/folk that you can't take offence to, and can't help but like, perhaps be moved by on occasion.
Intention: May check out a few more of her albums.