Sweet Liberty

Unlike its predecessor, 2002’s Prophecy, which emphasised original material, Susan McKeown’s eighth album confines itself to traditional songs. Not that it’s any less adventurous for that: the English folk song ‘Eggs In Her Basket’ is accompanied by the New York-based band Mariachi Real de Mexico, while ‘Oró Mhíle Grá’ sees her swapping verses with vocalist Fadimata Walett Oumar of the Ensemble Tartit, a group of Tuareg musicians from Mali, who also provide the backing. Neither collaboration feels at all artificial or forced; it’s as though the songs had always been destined for such a treatment. Elsewhere, there are guest appearances by Kíla’s Dee Armstrong and members of Flook!, among others. Sweet Liberty finishes on a poignant note with ‘When I Was On Horseback’, featuring the late Johnny Cunningham on fiddle.