No Frontiers

by Mary Black

Overview

With No Frontiers, Mary Black continues to distance herself from traditional Irish music. This time, however, she has also left behind the shimmery over-production of Without the Fanfare; the arrangements are, for want of a better word, more dignified this time, and they provide a better fit for her naturally elegant voice. As usual, several of the songs are by Jimmy McCarthy, and also as usual these are among the best: "Shuffle of the Buckled" sounds as if it were written for Black and the title track makes equally good use of her achingly sweet and clear voice. Inevitably, there is a misguided swipe at a pop classic -- in this case, a vaguely Latin-flavored arrangement of "I Say a Little Prayer for You" that is so bloodless and drained of passion that listening to it feels like an insult to Aretha Franklin. Noel Brazil's "Fat Valley of Pain" is a solid winner, though, and Donal Long's "The Shadow" is a quietly powerful depiction of the horror and loss wrought by Northern Ireland's century-old troubles. On this album Black seems to have gained control of the modern influences that had taken over on Without the Fanfare, and the result is one of her more complex and powerful albums. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	02/25/1994
Label:	Gift Horse Recordings
UPC:	0739341000225
Rank:	90259

Tracks

1. No Frontiers
2. Past the Point of Rescue
3. The Shadow
4. Carolina Rua
5. Shuffle of the Buckled
6. Columbus
7. Another Day
8. Fat Valley of Pain
9. I Say a Little Prayer
10. Vanities
11. The Fog in Monterey

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mary Black   Primary Artist,Vocals
Pat Crowley   Vocal Harmony,Accordion,Piano
Garvan Gallagher   Vocal Harmony,Double Bass
Donal Lunny   Synthesizer
Tony Davis   Vocals (Background)
Mandy Murphy   Vocals (Background)
Noel Bridgeman   Percussion,Vocal Harmony
Carl Geraghty   Saxophone
Caroline LaVelle   Cello
Declan Sinnott   Guitar,Vocal Harmony

Technical Credits

Colm Henry   Photography
Dan Dan   Engineer
Sarah McCann   Assistant Engineer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Jimmy MacCarthy   Composer
Donagh Long   Composer
Philip Begley   Editing
Mick Hanly   Composer
Thom Moore   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Dan Fitzgerald   Engineer
Jim McCarthy   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Declan Sinnott   Producer
Linda McCartney   Composer
Noel Brazil   Composer
Noel Brasil   Composer