Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola
Flame
of Wine
Own label
LNC002CD; 43 minutes; 2005
2002’s release of her
debut album, An Raicín Álainn, marked out the young singer Lasairfhíona
Ni Chonaola (pronounced ‘Lah-sah-reena Nee
Hon-ola’) as one of the most remarkable singing talents to emerge in Ireland
for many a year. An Raicin Álainn married Lasairfhíona’s ethereal voice
and Máire Breatnach’s sensitive production to a wide-ranging selection of
songs, drawn partly from the sean-nós tradition of the singer’s native
Inishere, the smallest of the Aran Islands, often producing soundscapes of
sometimes chilling beauty. 
Laudably, in making Flame
of Wine (the literal meaning of her name in Irish), Lasairfhíona has
resisted the temptation to make An Raicín Álainn 2, opting with Máire
for a more relaxed feel, albeit one still emotionally invigorating. Sure, the
‘big’ songs from the Irish unaccompanied singing tradition are present, such as
the gorgeously dark An Raibh Tú ar an gCarraig and An Draighneán Donn,
but there are plenty of lesser-known delights.
The opening An tAmhrán
Bréagach, with tremendous guitar accompaniment from guitarist Bill Shanley
and spine-tingling viola from Máire, encapsulates the singer’s imaginative
approach to her traditional material. In utter contrast, Sí Do Mhamó Í,
sung to her brother MacDara’s backing bodhrán, is a vivacious rendition of a
popular Connemara comic song, while her own ‘Galleon’ indicates advancing
skills as a composer. The sumptuous, part-spoken Aoibneas An Ghrá
recalls her earlier work with Hector Zazou on the spiritual-songs album Light
in the Dark while Damhsa na Coiníní offers a light-hearted
distraction.
Dazzling singing,
consummate accompaniment and production, could anyone want more?
This review by Geoff Wallis
originally appeared in Songlines magazine – www.songlines.co.uk.
For more information on
Lasairfhíona visit www.aransinger.com.