Mary Black – Babes In The Wood ( 180g LP )

Label: Pure Pleasure PPAN002
Topped Charts In Ireland For Six Weeks!
Featured in Michael Fremer’s Heavy Rotation in the July 2006 Issue of Stereophile! Pressed at Pallas in Germany!
Celtic musician Mary Black is most popular in Ireland. As a female vocalist she has fans’ respect from modern and traditional music with her uncanny knack for unveiling the true meaning of a song. Babes In the Wood topped the charts of Ireland in 1991 for six weeks.

This is a very feminine record, gentle and thoughtful.

“Black is set to conquer a new world.” – Rolling Stone.

“It’s one time that separates her from international stardom.” – The New York Post.

“She connected emotionally with her material practically on a molecular level…a staggering talent, a breathtaking vocalist who hardly fits any conventional mold…” – San Francisco Chronicle.
“Babes In The Wood” is Mary Black’s finest, most consistently pleasing album. There is no filler here, and her song selection, culled from new songwriters such as Noel Brazil and classic folkies such as Richard Thompson, is impeccable. The acoustic arrangements (including guitar, piano, mandolin, dobro, and accordion) are carried out by her longtime backing musicians, although the music has a decidedly more pop than Celtic flavor on this album. As with most of her releases, there are many romantic ballads sung with a subtly that adds emotional weight to every song. The main difference on this album is an omnipresent religious tone, whether it’s overt in the gospel opener “Still Believing” or just below the surface in songs such as “The Golden Mile”. Even a few of the love songs refer to having faith that love will come around again after heartbreak (“Just Around the Corner”). However, the album is peppered with playful, upbeat tunes that propel the album forward to the final song, a wonderful cover of Joni Mitchells’s “Urge For Going”. A great introduction to the music of Mary Black, and a must-own for fans.

Recording: March – June 1991 at Ringsend Road Studios, Dublin (Ireland), by Andrew Boland
Production: Declan Sinnott