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Judy Collins Live in Ireland Review by Gary Hill Judy Collins may not be considered “cool” these days. I don’t base my musical tastes on fashion, though. I’ve always liked her voice and her music and I still do. This concert was all about Collins showing off her Irish heritage and for that reason there is a lot of Celtic music here. Not everything falls into that category, though. I like everything here at least a little. I like some of it a lot. It’s an intriguing set with some solid performances. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Wild Mountain Thyme This is quite a mellow piece in a lot of ways. Collins’ voice sells it, though.

Chelsea Morning There’s a much more rocking sound here. The sound on this is soaring in a lot of ways. As good as the opener was, this is even better.

Gypsy Rover Still energetic, this is much more of a pure Celtic piece. It’s not bad, but doesn’t work as well for me as some other things here do.

Barbara Allen A much mellower number, this is very pretty. I like it a lot. It’s a sad song and very Celtic in nature.

Grandaddy (featuring step dancer Emily Ellis) There’s a bouncy vibe to this. It’s quite Celtic. It’s a bit too operatic for my tastes.

New Moon over the Hudson This one is mellower. It’s also quite pretty. There is still some of that operatic air to it. It works better to me, though.

The Cat’s in the Cradle I’ve always loved the original version of this song. The poignant lyrics still work well, all these years later. I like this version quite a bit, but still prefer the Harry Chapin performance.

John Riley A very Celtic number, this also feels quite sad. It’s a pretty song, but not my favorite here.

She Moved Through the Fair (featuring Mary Black) I don’t like the shaking voice on this piece. I know that’s a traditional singing style, and some people love it. It drives me nuts. Collins’ vocals, though work as well as they have throughout. This is quite mellow. It’s also very Celtic and very slow moving. It’s not one of my favorites. That’s for sure.

The Fire Plays (featuring Ari Hest) More of a rocking song, this is a strong one. The duet between male and female vocals is a great touch. The piece has a little bit of a country edge to it in some ways. It’s one of the better songs here.

Innisfree A piano and voice based number, this one is very pretty and very effective.

Danny Boy If there is a more clichéd Irish song, I don’t know what it is. That said, this rendition is acapella for the bulk of it and works reasonably well.

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