The Best of Mary Black, Vol. 2

Mighty strange, but the is extremely similar to the import version of the . The second discs of each are, in fact, identical, and include an album that was never released called "Hidden Harvest." is Ireland's premier vocalist. She interprets the tradition in many different ways without ever losing it in the arrangements. Her take on songs is to render them through the eyes and ears of the great tradition as well. There are, as would be expected, many fine moments on this set, including her readings of 's and The second disc features some beautiful duet performances, including a duet with -- live, no less -- on with , and . Some other moments here on disc two are beautiful performances of (with ), the Purists will call this music "sellout," but then, they never got it anyway. is a singer first, a singer of songs, and a terrific interpreter because of her unique manner of placing them in the context of the tradition. She is an Irish singer second, and whether it's , music, or she takes on, the mark on the material is unmistakably her own. ~ Thom Jurek