Lisa O’Neill – Heard a Long Gone Song
River Lea – 19 October 2018
We’ve long since abandoned the flawed notion that there’s nothing original in folk music. There’s a wealth of musicians and songwriters creating fascinating new music that has its roots in the folk tradition but nonetheless references contemporary themes, and folk music in the UK has never been in a stronger position. Originally from Ballyhaise, County Cavan; Dublin performer Lisa O’ Neill is a case in point. On her fourth album, Heard a Long Gone Song, O’Neill performs a mix of thoroughly captivating self-written and traditional songs. Her performances, though, are every bit as eclectic as they are authentic, and without an encyclopaedic knowledge of folk song all over the UK, you’d be hard pushed to work out which is which.
Lisa learned The Galway Shawl from the singing of Margaret Barry and it makes a compelling opener for the album. Unaccompanied and with a voice that seems to sing out from a 1950’s London folk club, if not direct from a roadside bow-tent, the raw beauty of her performance is enhanced by perfect timing and compelling clarity.
Since her 2009 debut, Has an Album, Lisa O’Neill has consistently created memorable and instantly recognisable music. Although clearly inspired by folk traditions, and often quirky in nature, her earlier work was firmly rooted in a full-band sound. That approach steadily diminished over the following two albums, with Same Cloth or Not (2013) providing her steadily growing audience with a studio performance that was far more in line with her live sets; allowing her own, unique, character far more breathing space. Same Cloth or Not was important in helping to foster a growing understanding, and appreciation for, her music; and 2016’s Pothole in the Sky seemed to stem from an increased, and justified, self-belief, and a growing confidence to ask questions of herself in her songs.
Heard a Long Gone Song builds on that progress even further, and includes a selection of traditional songs where Lisa has the confidence to perform solo, whether unaccompanied, as in the opening track, or with guitars and banjo; or with the addition of Cormac Begley’s concertinas, Christophe Capewell’s fiddle and Libby McCrohan on bouzouki. All four come together for Along The North Strand. The inspiration comes, again, from the songs of Irish travellers (Kitty Cassidy) and in the meticulous pace of this famous murder ballad every note, every word is cherished, amid clashing percussion and woeful strings. This magnificent song is given the ample space it deserves and, although almost eight minutes long, is utterly captivating – especially with Cormac’s closing jig. By contrast, The Lass of Aughrim is a short, sweet and tragic snapshot from Lord Gregory and features Lisa solo, with banjo. The result is no less impressive, though. For The Factory Girl, Lisa returns to the singing of Margaret Barry for inspiration, along with Dubliner Nellie Weldon. Again, this is a beautifully unhurried traditional ballad, but for this vocal-only performance, Lisa is joined by singer Radie Peat (Lankum). It would be no exaggeration to say that the impact of the arrangement Lisa and Radie have developed together surpasses any I’ve experienced. With voices as well matched as a set of uilleann pipes; these two 21st century women are inspired by the performances of two 20th century women in an 18th-century song about feminine pride and dignity. It’s utterly spellbinding. Watch them performing it live below:
That song alone should be enough to convince anyone of Lisa’s remarkable ability as a singer and arranger, but there’s more. Her talent as a song writer has never been in doubt since that 2009 debut, but the songs and ballads Lisa has written for Heard a Long Gone Song are truly exceptional. Spanish guitar adds soft textures to Blackbird, “blackbird, slip into my slumber and show me a song”… her writing craft is peerless. It’s as if she’s found an ancient voice for her writing, and I can’t help feeling she didn’t have to look very far.
Lisa’s craft as a storyteller and a performer shines through in Violet Gibson. There’s a quietly comic twist to the telling of this tale of an aristocratic Irish woman’s unsuccessful attempt on the life of Benito Mussolini. Snatches of comedy are only on the surface, though, and the rich empathy of Lisa’s performance sees her character switch from pantomime to tragedy in moments. Rock The Machine hits just as hard – a lament on the mechanisation of dockyard labour that mixes a sense of loss, bewilderment and anger, in a song of startling power.
“Machine with the strength of a hundred men
Can’t feed and clothe my children
Can’t greet a sailor coming in
Or know of desperation”
The quiet drone of Christophe Capewell’s harmonium as a backdrop to Lisa’s banjo grows menacingly – a stark contrast to the beautiful poetry of Lisa’s words. We can expect to hear this song sung far and wide, which could just as easily be said about A Year Shy of Three. Written in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland, A Year Shy of Three is a response to a painting by Frederick William Burton ‘The Aran Fisherman’s Drowned Child’. Lisa’s exceptional poem found a new home within a melody when she heard Cormac play The May Morning Dew. The result is a lament as plaintive and heart-rending as a lament can be …
“With a handful of words, seven curls, a year shy of three” – and a closing dirge from Cormac.
Tears are almost inevitable. Not for the sadness of the song, although that would be reason enough, for the sheer beauty of it.
It’s a cover version that gives Heard a Long Gone Song its title, as Lisa embarks on Shane McGowan’s Lullaby of London with a sleepy delivery like the end of a long night, but also with a closing duet from Lisa’s banjo and Cormac’s concertina that just makes you want to start the album from the beginning.
If Nick Cave had followed the folk tradition instead of falling for the charms of Rock and Roll, he may well have aspired to create something akin to what Lisa O’Neill has with Heard a Long Gone Song. Lisa, though, is unique. It’s certainly raw on the surface, and the album’s abrasive nature is absolutely part of its appeal. Beneath that coarse exterior, though, lies a heart of gold, a mind as sharp as a razor, and the soul of a poet. Heard a Long Gone Song is easily one of the greatest surprises I’ve enjoyed for some time; an exceptional album that will make the trad music scene stand up and take notice; if it doesn’t, there’s something far wrong with the trad music scene.
Heard A Long Gone Song is out on 19th October via River Lea
Available via:
Rough Trade shop (UK)
Rough Trade shop (EU)
Amazon (UK)
iTunes (worldwide)
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Photo Credit: Claire Leadbitter