THE LATE, great, Mary McPartlan once noted that Irish folk music must not continually rest on a handful of standards, instead new material must be added to keep the form alive.
In recent years we have been lucky with the likes of Declan O'Rourke, Lisa O’Neill, and the mighty Lankum stepping up to that plate, and with her debut album, Dani Larkin shows she understands exactly what McPartlan was talking about.
The Armagh singer-songwriter brings a feminist perspective, and an appreciation of Irish mythology and heritage to her songwriting, showing how old forms have a way of speaking clearly to contemporary concerns.
Something of a concept album, the first half deals with a warrior woman, the second with love in its various forms. The warrior songs are mostly driven by banjo and its peculiar sound, with Larkin’s playing style creating a sense of menace and foreboding (‘Bloodthirsty’ ), but it also speaks of strength and indomitability (‘The Mother Within’ ).
When on guitar, Larkin displays a Preston Reed like dexterity and high technical ability (‘The Magpie’ ). Her melodic sense, and knack for writing songs with the potential to be widely accessible, are shown on gentle folk-pop of ‘Samson & Goliath’ (a reference to the cranes at Harland & Wolff ) and ‘Love Part One’.
Most arresting perhaps is the vocal-only ‘Three Wise Women,’ which melds Irish folk and modern classical forms to conclude the album in a haunting way.
Notes For A Maiden Warrior considers the need for freedom and being an independent person, but also the necessity of companionship and solidarity. It is a most promising debut, and the best is probably still yet to come.
Dani Larkin plays the Róisín Dubh on Thursday November 25 at 8pm. For tickets see www.roisindubh.net.
