Sharon Shannon's latest album, Now!, will be released on April 26. This is the first time the new album will be made available outside of last year's box set release. The album includes a collaboration with rising folk rockers The Scratch ('The Diddley Doo'), released as a single early in 2023. It also features the quirky 'Greenroots' single composed against the backdrop of a rousing speech by Barack Obama.

About her writing approach, Sharon Shannon says in the album's sleeve notes, "It can happen any time, not necessarily when I have an instrument in my hand ... when I'm out walking the dogs or at home cooking the dinner. I come up with an idea and press the record button on my phone. Or if I'm playing an instrument, I might just keep playing and improvising for 35-40 minutes and I might get 10 or 12 ideas for nice tunes out of that…or I just sit down to write just one tune with an instrument. I have hundreds of ideas for tunes on my phone, so another method is to just pick out one of them and start working on perfecting it."

Although she initially planned for her first all-instrumental album, Now took a different direction, with surprises throughout. Reflecting on her work, Shannon says, "Every Sharon Shannon album is different, of course."

Tracks like 'Benji's Rollicks' and 'Mammy Shannon's Jig' pay tribute to loved ones, while others, like 'The Diddley Doo,' show Shannon's sense of fun. The album features collaborations with The Scratch and Ross Ainslie and was produced by producer Craig Mulvagh, along with engineer Justin Adams.

NOW & THEN BOX SET is available exclusively from CelticNote.com.

Watch 'The Diddley Doo (Official Music Video)' below: