Having turned to singing professionally after her family was raised, Wicklow-based jazz-singer (and songwriter) Carmel McCreagh released her debut album in 2007 to wide acclaim. The wife of legendary composer/arranger Fiachra Trench, (who has worked with Van Morrison, The Corrs, The Pogues and Paul McCartney, among others,) she had performed for her own enjoyment prior to that. Here she tackles the songbook of one of the most celebrated lyricists of the 20th century, Johnny Mercer, who wrote the words of classics made famous by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and many more besides.

McCreagh’s voice is mellow and velvety, rather than in-your-face and she effortlessly performs timeless standards such as ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’, ‘Come Rain Or Come Shine’ and ‘Travellin’ Light’, along with some slightly less well-known Mercer compositions, including ‘Empty Tables’, ‘This Time The Dreams On Me’ and ‘Drinking Again’. Beautifully produced with sumptuous arrangements by Trench and performances from some of Ireland’s finest musicians, including Keith Donald, Jimmy Smyth and Michael Buckley, Skylark is the perfect late-night album and a fitting salute to one of the songwriting greats.