Latest CD releases reviewed

NATHAN MUSIC CO
Jimson Weed Nettwerk Records
****

"If David Lynch had directed O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Nathan's music [would have been] the soundtrack." So said a Canadian DJ with a colourful turn of phrase quoted on the home page of this Winnipeg band's impressive second album, a smart, witty, absorbing and tuneful collection of country songs and folky waltzs, all imbued with an engaging sense of friendly backwoods weirdness. Prime responsibility for these minor gems rests with singer-songwriter Keri McTighe, with fellow singer Shelley Marshall contributing two tracks, both strong in their own right. The rest of the band (four pictured but five credited) plus an assortment of guests add greatly to producer John Switzer's jauntily adventurous settings, which surprise and delight with their use of steel guitar, brass and banjo. www.nathanmusic.ca

Joe Breen

HACIENDA BROTHERS
Hacienda Brothers Proper
***

These guys look the real deal and, more importantly, sound it as well. Dave Gonzalez and Chris Gaffney are veterans of the Americana scene, the former playing with rockabilly trio The Paladins and the latter a sometime member of Dave Alvin's Guilty Men. They finally teamed up for what legendary producer Dan Penn described as an album of "southwestern soul". In reality these 14, mostly self-penned tracks range from classic honky-tonk pathos to mood-filled southern soul and midnight blues, such as Gonzalez' Walkin' on My Dreams, all lonely spaces, Hammond B3 frills and tear-stained guitar. Their ability to switch genres is impressive if a little disconcerting, but these guys know their business. As such, their Irish debut at Kilkenny's Rhythm 'n' Roots festival in May could prove to be one of the weekend's highlights. www.haciendabrothers.com

Joe Breen

RÓNÁN Ó SNODAIGH
The Playdays  RMG
***

Three solo albums on, and Rónán Ó Snodaigh is in sultry form. The Playdays reeks of the pastoral landscape patented by Nick Drake, replete with those classically languid guitar lines that Ó Snodaigh has favoured in his solo work. The mood is unapologetically contemplative, with Richie Buckley's saxophone chasing the shadows found in between Eoin O'Brien's guitar and Claire Bonass's backing vocals. The Dream I Haven't Showed Her is a bold setting of Auden's poem, Funeral Blues and Simmerin' Down, in all its echoey glory, a snapshot of a musician whose solo work is most definitely an antidote to his band Kila's more manic moments. At times the production errs on the side of a looseness which may irritate with longterm exposure, but Ó Snodaigh's musical spirit still floats free. www.kila.ie

Siobhán Long