Lowlands

1	An Nighean Dubh/The Dark Haired Girl 4:11
2	Johnny Coughlin 5:04
3	The Hare's Lament 3:13
4	Slan Agus Beannacht/Goodbye and Farewell 2:03
5	The Snows They Melt the Soonest 4:27
6	Nansau Og Ni Obarlain/Young Nancy Oberlin 2:20
7	Lord Baker 8:47
8	Dark Horse on the Wind 4:41
9	The Lowlands of Holland 5:27
10	Bonny Greenwood Side 2:42
11	To Farir London Town 4:02
12	The Moorlough Shore 5:05

Barnes & Noble

The bold Susan McKeown does the New York Irish community proud with this colorful set of ballads. Whether Scottish or Irish, in English or Gaelic, old or new, her taste is for the sad, the wistful, and the bitter, with the occasional triumph of the spirit that drops some honey on the lemon. Her gifted musical compatriots come from all over the world: New York, Ireland, Spain, India, Mali, and China, and while each makes a unique contribution, the Celtic tradition of choosing personally meaningful tunes handed down from inspirational balladeers goes on undiminished. Indeed, McKeown, who dropped out of an Irish opera academy to wander the streets of Dublin, has chosen well: Tales of exile, rescue, infanticide, emergency cannibalism, and hares cornered by the hounds are all archetypal Celtic fare. Perhaps the most stunning cut is her a cappella version of "Dark Horse on the Wind" by Liam Weldon, a brilliantly concise, heartbreaking expression of the bleak, continual struggle that is Ireland. McKeown sings it with great beauty and total conviction. And as they say, the further from Ireland one gets, the more Irish one becomes. Emily King

All Music Guide

Susan McKeown is an Irish folk musician with an unusually diverse resume. She has made albums of original music and albums of traditional songs, including a stunning collection of seasonal tunes entitled Through the Bitter Frost and Snow, on which the primary instruments were McKeown's voice and Lindsey Horner's string bass. She has also collaborated with numerous musicians from traditions both within and without the Celtic the world, and her music has been used in TV commercials for products as diverse as facial cream and automobiles. At this point, the only really surprising thing she could have done would have been to make a primarily traditional Irish album, which is exactly what she's done with the beautiful Lowlands. Granted, the instrumentation is frequently unusual -- on the haunting "Dark Horse on the Wind" she's accompanied by banjo and erhu (a Chinese bowed instrument), and on "Bonny Greenwoodside" she plays finger cymbals while others play the tabla and caxixis. But the songs are very definitely from the Irish tradition, and her delivery is as hair-raising as ever. Highlights include the slightly flamenco-flavored "Slan agus Beannacht (Goodbye and Farewell)" and the anguished, a capella "Dark Horse on the Wind." Highly recommended. Rick Anderson