Not the old country, as it used to be called. Susan McKeown's vision and inspired take on Irish music has been uniquely global.
It's not a record cheapened by marketing genres. The intermingling of folk, rock, jazz, world music, and sounds that bear no bin-worthy name rise and fall, swelling to tsunamic crescendos and falling to pin drop silences of spooky guitar loops, Michelle Kinney's haunting cello, and the depths of sorrow and glory that Susan McKeown is so uncannily capable of creating.
Prophecy is a record of many brilliant moods, all songs written or co-written by the artist. Co-producer and fine guitarist Jon Spurney co-wrote the music to the title track -- its lyrics are inspired by a W.B. Yeats passage included in the liner notes. The poetry of Emily Dickinson is also featured: Susan and her friend Natalie Merchant do a memorable duet on "Because I Could Not Stop For Death," set to music by the artist.
Tracklist:
1. Be Brave Love Be Strong 3:55
2. River 3:44
3. Chances Are 4:48
4. Wheels of the World 3:33
5. Seven Cold Glories 3:11
6. What Did I Ever Do To You? 2:29
7. Because I could not stop for Death 3:50
8. Ballinaboula 4:15
9. South 5:31
10. Prophecy 2:39