Folk Tale
Vintage album from a man smitten by truth
Jackie Hayden, 28 Oct 2011
Christy Moore rarely strays too far from his roots and unsurprisingly this album sees him operating firmly in the folk milieu.
Moore’s ability to deliver songs from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum is obvious when you juxtapose the title track, a solemn adaptation of Paula Meehan’s poignant poem, with ‘My Little Honda 50’ – which packs the trademark whimsy he’s made his own down the decades.
Elsewhere, he deals with the social issues that are a staple part of what he is. ‘On Morecambe Bay’ covers the exploitation of migrant labour, while ‘Tyrone Boys’ is a poignant reflection on Irish emigration. ‘Tiles And Slabs’, written with Nigel Rolfe, was inspired by the Imelda Riney tragedy. ‘Weekend In Amsterdam’ replays what the lads got up to after they got their redundancy money, and ‘God Woman’ tells how the fairer sex made the world, among other matters.
There’s genuine personal nostalgia in ‘Ballydine’, ‘Easter Snow’ is a plaintive ballad inspired by Seamus Ennis, and he revisits Planxty’s ‘Farmer Michael Hayes’ too. Christy’s voice is as rich and as eloquent as ever, and with Declan Sinnott’s tasteful decorations, this is vintage Moore.
As he sings himself, “A young man fell in love with truth”. It sounds like he’s still smitten.
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