Actually, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Donal Lunny (himself) was the cause of over-producing the album (no one has mentioned who the producer of the album is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was him). Some of Donal's own 'nua' attempts at covering trad material has been dire, as have some of the artists he has produced in that same vein of "contemporary traditional music"--a sound he is now quite infamous for creating in Ireland. And people in the trad music community in Ireland either love it or hate it.

Posters here seem to be missing some important points about Sinead and her relationship to trad music in Ireland.

First, she has been friends with many of the cream of the crop trad musicians from Ireland and Britain for a couple of decades now. She grew up singing with them, even though she doesn't often perform formally in traditional settings. She has been involved in many of the Irish social, political, cultural, and arts events doing her own thing, and they doing theirs, ie at charity gigs and the likes. She has performed on some of their albums, and some of them have performed on some hers. So it isn't the same as Roger Daltry deciding to do a one off song on a Chieftains album. Sinead is very familiar with the canon of traditional music and song from Ireland.

Second, it only makes sense that this CD was badly reviewed in Ireland. The music critics in Ireland--especially the trad music critics are famous for their negativity and begrudgery--especially of musicians who have had worldwide commercial success. And then there was that pope thing...the full page ads in the Irish Times...the list of ways that Sinead has alienated the conservative elements in Irish society are endless, as is their criticism of her. And much of it is far off the mark.

I haven't heard the CD, but I have heard Sinead perform traditional songs beautifully, although never in a conservative, conventionally traditional arrangement. So her CD won't appeal to most of the trad purist types anyway. So what? I'm sure she didn't make the CD for them, she made the CD because she loves the music, and wanted to do an album of sean nos and trad songs, the same way she wanted to do a CD of ballads on "Am I Not Your Girl". She made an artistic choice, as is her right as an artist. Some will praise her artistic choice, some will damn it. So what else is new?

Sinead live is like most any other performers. When she is on, she absolutely blows you away. When she is having an off night, she sounds like she is having an off night, like any other musician. Her voice is a gift, especially when you hear her sing live without amplification. You quickly realize you are in the presence of a great talented singer and interpreter of songs.

I care not one iota whether Sinead attracts anyone to trad music with this CD or not, as I feel that old argument is a bit of a red herring anyway. Great songs are great songs, regardless of where the era or geographical era they come from, as great singers are great singers, regardless of the genre of music they get pigeonholed into for the benefit of music industry sales.

I love Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, Niamh Parsons, Dolores Keane, and many other gifted and talented traditional Irish singers. But none of them compare 2 Sinead! None of them has the voice Sinead has. And I've heard them all, unamplified, live.

Sinead is in a class by herself. She says this is her last album, as she is retiring from the music business in July. I think that in light of her decision to retire, her artistic choice to make her last album an album of Irish songs, whether well executed or not according to the trad purists and begrudgers, is quite poignant. It truly does show the tremendous amount of love and respect she has for the music of her cultural roots. Nothing wrong with that in my view.