Karan Casey Releases First Single From Upcoming New Album

Karen Casey has just released the first music video from Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale, which you can check out below.

The new album from Waterford singer, which is out in mid-October, sees her return to a mix of traditional and folk song imbued with a modern twist, sitting alongside some new self-penned songs.

She is joined on vocals by some of her favourite singers, including Karen Matheson, Niamh Dunne, Pauline Scanlon, Maura O'Connell and Aoife O Donovan.

It's a huge production, with some 25 musicians and singers involved. 'Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale' is the album title, taken from a line in one of the tracks I'm Still Standing Here, written by Janis Ian. Janis has tweeted her delight at Karan's version of the song!

Produced by renowned Scottish musician and Bafta-nominated composer Donald Shaw, the new album also features Karan’s long-time musical collaborators Kate Ellis, Niall Vallely, James MacKintosh, Ewen Vernal, Dirk Powell and Mike McGoldrick as well as younger voices such as Sean Óg Graham & Catriona McKay.

While singing songs from contemporary folk writers Janis Ian, Eliza Gilkyson, Patti Griffin, Mick Flannery and Bob Dylan, the album also showcases Casey’s impressive talent as a song writer.

As with previous recordings, Karan's sense of social justice comes through strongly in her choice of song, each sung with compelling conviction and a new sense of urgency, calling for an end to war, freedom and fairness for womankind and an increased awareness of the need for more love and compassion in the world.

Karen's music has receiving a lot praise from international critics.The Boston Globe has hailed her voice among the "loveliest in folk music and she’s a wonderful interpreter of both contemporary and traditional material". While The Glasgow Herald reckons Karen is "the most soulful singer to emerge in Irish traditional music in the past decade".

Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale will be released on 19 October on Vertical Records.

Here's her new music video from the track Down in the Glen.