Words In Music

Two understated instrumentals make perfect foils for Merriman, whose style embraces the history of folk, from the misty past to the commerical successes of the Christies Moore and Hennessy. He drains the beerish qualities from ‘The Wild Rover Revisited’ to reveal a poignant song of poverty and rejection, and ‘The Bicycle Song’ evokes the nostalgia of McCartney. ‘No Shoes’ shows the Scullion influence, ‘The Drum In The Distance’ deserves shoploads of covers and ‘Lose My Mind’ is as exuberant as love songs get. Merriman’s beguiling way with a melody, and his tendency towards painterly lyrics, retrieves Irish folk from singalong hell.