The Holy Ground

by Mary Black

Overview

Irish singer Mary Black is well known for deftly combining her Celtic roots with contemporary folk. On this release, she offers another strong set of songs, as she interprets songs from American folk favorite John Gorka ("Treasure Island") and connects with Anglo-folk tradition on the lovely "One Way Donkey Ride" (written by Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention fame). The acoustic instrumentation feature a rich blend of guitars, fiddles, saxophones, and accordions that add a timeless feel to most of her songs. The highlight of the album is "Loving Time," an emotional story of star-crossed lovers told with a bittersweet aching that few artists could deliver so poignantly. While a few songs towards the end of the album suffer from middle-of-the-road, adult easy listening arrangements, Mary Black's voice remains an incredibly expressive instrument that makes this another solid effort. ~ Vik Iyengar

Product Details

Release Date:	02/25/1994
Label:	Gift Horse Recordings / Gifthorse Records
UPC:	0739341001024
Rank:	147012

Tracks

1. Summer Sent You
2. One Way Donkey Ride
3. The Loving Time
4. Golden Thread
5. The Holy Ground
6. Treasure Island
7. The Holy Ground
8. Flesh and Blood
9. Dockland
10. Lay Down Your Burden
11. Paper Friends
12. Poison Words

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mary Black   Primary Artist,Vocals
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh   Guest Artist,Vocals
Declan Sinnott   Guitar,Mandolin,Synthesizer,Vocal Harmony,Spanish Guitar,Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Dave Early   Drums,Congas,Percussion
Mel Mercier   Tabla
Garvan Gallagher   Double Bass,Clevenger Bass,Bass (Electric)
Pat Crowley   Piano,Accordion,Vocal Harmony,Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Frank Gallagher   Fiddle,Synthesizer,Whistle (Instrument)
Carl Geraghty   Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)

Technical Credits

Thom Moore   Composer
Aidan McGovern   Assistant Engineer
Declan Sinnott   Producer
Noel Brazil   Composer
Gerry O'Beirne   Composer
Colm Henry   Photography
Willie Mannion   Assistant Engineer
Shane McCarthy   Design
Paul Doran   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Billy Robinson   Engineer
Shane Howard   Composer
Frank Gallagher   String Arrangements
John Gorka   Composer
Sandy Denny   Composer
Mary Black   Composer
Jesse Winchester   Composer