Sending a music message from far away places

ONE OF the many brilliant things about the musicians, songwriters and bands located in County Wexford is the diversity of the material they create.

The featured artist this week is someone whose individual range of songs and music is as eclectic as it is brilliant.

During lockdown Sammy Horner has really let the creative juices flow creating two very distinct and different albums, in addition to having a children’s book published and working on a graphic novel.

‘Far Away Places’, the subject of this week’s column, is a folk album where the focus of attention is on immigration while the second album is a metal, punk, Gospel collection.

On Far Away Places he gets to showcase his rootsy side. Adorned with a thought-provoking and wonderfully drawn cover image the album begins with a track called ‘ The Good Ship Kelly Jean’.

Set to an upbeat tempo the song features an accordion, courtesy of Phil Madeira, prominent in the mix and in the context of the type of track it is, it adds to the folk vibe of the song.

The fiddle and mandolin accompaniment from Tom Cottrell is also fantastic.

Perhaps, given the overall emigration theme of the album, it’s ironic that the overdubs on the CD were created in studios all over the world so while on the one hand it’s in essence an album about being apart and separated, the finished CD was created by musicians embracing technology to come together despite being thousands of miles apart.

‘Linger Here Beside You’ features Tess Wiley on lead and backing vocals with additional backing by Kylie Horner.

A very gentle, melancholic ballad, the acoustic nature of the song is very appealing and the finger-picked acoustic rhythm guitar provides ideal accompaniment.

There is also a wonderful acoustic lead break by Jim Devlin.

This is real laid back camp fire music with thought-provoking lyrics. As vocalists , Wiley and Horner are both blessed with formidable voices and together they sound exquisite.

‘N.I.N.A.’ takes things back up a notch and allows Tom Cottrell a chance to showcase his banjo-playing ability.

It’s about discrimination ‘ the sign says if you’re Irish don’t apply’ and harks back to a time when prejudice was the way of world.

A track similar in vibe to ‘Botany Bay’ it’s a very strong song from a commercial perspective and boasts a very impressive chorus.

‘ The Children Of White Rock’ introduces a touch of Americana to the folk tapestry woven throughout the album.

Sammy Horner’s vocals are accompanied by acoustic guitar and dulcimer, which he himself plays, and around halfway through there is additional accordion by Kylie Horner which provides the perfect final embellishment to the vocals.

‘Annie Glover’ is another ballad, featuring the vocals of Maria Forde.

Lyrically, the song tells a heart-wrenching tale that could be applied to too many incidents of oppression and discrimination throughout history.

‘California’ is a fantastic upbeat jaunt that would have people engaging in a right knees-up in a live setting.

There is an inherent positivity within folk music that is rarely found in other genres.

Outside of the straight ballad format many folk songs, even though they tell tales of travel and separation, are written in a way that invokes very upbeat and positive vibes.

It’s like they’re saying ‘well yes, we’re leaving but we’ll have the craic while we’re at it’.

So it is with ‘California’ and many of the other tracks on ‘Far Away Places’.

There is a positivity to the album that is wonderful to experience.

‘Skibbereen’ features Sharon Clancy on vocals with Mick Egan providing additional overdubs.

It’s a brooding lament and Clancy’s voice has an inherent lonesome quality that contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere of the track.

The intro to ‘Hush’ brings to mind the fantastic ‘Lonesome Boatman’. It’s a fabulous song and tells a harrowing tale of a child’s passing.

In addition to his own original songs Horner has included a fantastic interpretation of Rodney Cordner’s, ‘Immigrant Eyes’ on the album and it gives a slight country tint to proceedings.

‘ The Song Isn’t Singing’ is a tale of the famine and has the type of melody that will remain in the listeners’ mind long after the song has ended.

Sammy and Kylie Horner cowrote the final two tracks, the acoustic driven ‘No Man Is An Island’ and the rousing ‘ These Days Will Come to Pass’.

The sparse arrangements of the tracks and the crisp clarity to the production adds to the overall appeal of the CD which as a collection of songs proves that in a pandemic music is an ideal antidote.