Heart's Desire in Bloomington, MN

Heart's Desire
finds singer
Niamh Parsons
in a more exposed situation than on her earlier albums, with only the sparest of accompaniment and, in several cases, no accompaniment at all. For some singers this would be a big mistake, but those familiar with
Parsons
' previous work will know what a treat to expect. She has one of those singing voices that manages to draw you in completely with no apparent effort and without the slightest showiness or affectation.
offers a nicely varied program of songs that will be familiar to most lovers of Irish music (including
"My Lagan Love"
and
"Brokenhearted I'll Wander"
) as well as some lovely obscurities, among them
"Done With Bonaparte"
(which features lyrics by
Dire Straits
frontman
Mark Knopfler
set to the
traditional
"Valentia Island"
) and a gentle anti-war
ballad
called
"Bramblethorn,"
on which
sings in duet with her sister
Anne
. This being
Irish vocal
music, the mood is pretty uniformly quiet and often heartbroken, though never in a less-than-lovely way, and
' voice is a consistently uplifting contrast to the downcast lyrics. Highly recommended, along with all of her previous work. ~ Rick Anderson