RÓisÍn Ó

It’s a Friday night at Whelan’s. But if you close your eyes you could picture being in a place where cowboy hats are worn without irony, sawdust covers the floor, and Bobby Joe tends the bar – Róisín Ó is more than a little bit country. As the band take to the stage a loud ‘Ssshh’ can be heard across the room. It’s unnecessary because singer Rose O’Reilly has a voice as high and pure as a mountain stream. The set, which marks the launch of her debut album, The Secret Life Of Blue, is received with rapturous applause. Highlights include the ballad ‘Hold On’, the crowd-pleasing ‘The Tea Song’ and ‘Filled With Snow’. For the encore, Róisín returns with the foot stomping ‘Here We Go’ only to leave us on a slow note with the album’s title-track. She’s an engaging frontwoman who looks as if she was born to perform. You cannot help but suspect that in a few years no-one will mention that she ‘s Mary Black’s daughter or Danny from The Coronas’ sister. Ms. Ó may just outshine them both.