Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Mary Black, Emmylou Harris (vocals); Declan Sinnott (acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer, background vocals); Bill Shanley (guitar); Donal Lunny (bouzouki, synthesizer); Frank Gallagher (fiddle, synthesizer, tin whistle); Caroline LaVelle (cello); Pat Crowley (accordion, electric piano, background vocals); Carl Geraghty (soprano & tenor saxophones); Maire Bhreatnach (synthesizer); Garvan Gallagher, Jim Tate, Eoghan O'Neill (bass); Dave Early, Noel Eccles (drums, percussion); Noel Bridgeman (percussion); Liam Bradley (background vocals). | | Producers: Declan Sinnott, Mary Black, Eleanor McElvoy, Noel Eccles. | | Engineers include: Billy Robinson, Dan Fitzgerald, Andrew Boland. | | Personnel: Mary Black (vocals); Declan Sinnott (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, background vocals); Pat Crowley (vocals, accordion, piano, keyboards, background vocals); Emmylou Harris, Liam Bradley (vocals); Bill Shanley (guitar); D¢nal Lunny (bouzouki, synthesizer); Frank Gallagher (fiddle, tin whistle, synthesizer); Caroline LaVelle (cello); Noel Bridgeman (accordion, drums, percussion); Carl Geraghty (saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Philip Begley (synthesizer); Garvan Gallagher (double bass); Dave Early, Noel Eccles (drums, percussion). | | Audio Remixers: Mark Miller ; Pearse Dunne. | | Editors: Carlos Grier; Philip Begley. | | Photographer: Mike Bunn. | | Looking Back was the first release from Mary Black's U.S. label, Curb Records. It was intended to introduce one of Ireland's top-selling pop stars to American audiences. Much of the record does what its title suggests, featuring some of the best songs from four of Black's Gifthorse releases: Without the Fanfare (1985), No Frontiers (1989), Babes in the Wood (1991), and Holy Ground (1993). The tracks from those albums are well chosen. Most of them are carefully arranged with mellow resonance. The slow jazz ballad "Columbus" and the more traditional Jimmy McCarthy favorite, "Bright Blue Rose," are interpreted especially effectively. But Looking Back also contains three previously unreleased tracks aimed directly at American tastes, and it is here that the consistency of the record begins to suffer. Among the new songs, "Only a Woman's Heart" is the sole success. It is a cover of a song by Eleanor McEvoy, another Irishwoman who found an audience across the Atlantic, re-imagined as a beautiful folk duet with one of America's most distinctive female vocalists, Emmylou Harris. The other two new tracks (Shane Howard's "Soul Sister" and John Gorka's "Looking Forward") are buried in overly perky keyboard and saxophone arrangements that lack the subtlety of most of the older recordings. In retrospect, those songs seem to foreshadow the ill-advised gloss pop sound of Shine, Black's 1997 L.A. studio debut. Looking Back is generally best when it does just that. ~ Evan Cater | | LOOKING BACK, Mary Black's 1995 collection of pop songs from four of her earlier albums, showcases the Irish folkie's eclectic, resonant work and includes two new tracks. Delicate and sensitive one minute, growling and defiant the next, Mary Black has the ability to turn herself inside out, getting into the heart and soul of the characters she sings about. The album begins with the single "Soul Sister" where Black musically unites all women through the love, devotion, and even the missteps that they all share on their travels. "No Frontiers," luminously sung with an upbeat and hopeful vibe, implores listeners to always keep their hearts open without any boundaries. Black, known for her lilting soprano, uses her lower register to great dramatic effect on "Ellis Island," relating the personal pain of immigrants leaving their homeland, setting out to an unknown future. "Bright Blue Rose," sung almost as a meditation, is one of Black's most precious songs as she encourages everyone to seek their own path and diverge as much as possible until they find their way. "Only A Woman's Heart" (the title track from a compilation album, which has become the best selling album in Irish history) features a high-flying duet with the magnificent Emmylou Harris. The two voices mesh so beautifully and become one solid instrument, making the song a searing portrait of a woman's feelings and desires. Black excels at her musical portraits of women as they challenge themselves to move on or simply find the courage to stand completely still and comprehend their place in the world. |
Musical Guests | | Emmylou Harris |
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