Mary Black will perform 12 concerts in the U.S. and one in Ontario this summer.
By Colleen Taylor
Mary Black is coming out of retirement to bid farewell to U.S. fans. After completing her “Last Call” tour in 2014, Black couldn’t quite sit easy. She admits to feeling guilty about leaving so many American cities out of the original farewell tour, so this year, she’s resurrected a 2017 second leg to rectify the oversight. What’s more, she will re-release a re-mastered version of her 1987 album, “By the Time It Gets Dark,” to coincide with her “Last Call” North American tour from July 27 through Aug. 13.
Black needs no introduction. Many consider her to be the keynote songstress of late 20th Ireland. Her career has spanned 30 years, 12 studio albums, and countless global tours. She has been a leading figure in bringing Irish music across the world—but she’s not a traditionalist. Somewhere between trad and pop music, Black found her musical niche in the in-betweens, the grey areas. Her version of “Song for Ireland” evinces this. It’s inherently an Irish ballad, but hers is a pop rendition as well. Mournful, melodic, meaningful, Black’s “Song for Ireland” will remain an Irish classic.
My favorite Black album is her last one, “Stories from the Steeples” (2011). A collection of original songs, “Steeples” marks Black’s culmination as a recording artist. The album moves from fun and playful, such as in “Walking with My Love,” a duet with Finbar Furey,” to the mythological, such as “Marguerite and the Gambler,” and, as always, the elegiac with “Wizard of Oz.” I like this album best because of its folksy nature—it figures Mary Black staunchly in the Irish tradition, foregrounds her as part of a long history of Irish alto singers. Her vocal timbre, in its melancholy and its exuberance, comes to the fore in this album. What’s more, the songs are some of her most imaginative. The themes of travel, of fairytale-like meetings, of myth and history, make this album truly special, and in my opinion, Black’s best. As part of her final tour, however, Mary Black will be singing songs from across her entire career, not just the recent. She’ll reach as far back as 1987’s “By the Time it Gets Dark” (1987). Some classics from that album are “Wounded Heart,” “Katie,” and a favorite of mine, “Schooldays Over.”
But it’s not all about goodbyes on this final American tour. Rather than closing the book on Black’s legacy, the concert will make clear that the legacy is only growing stronger. Black will be joined by her daughter, Róisín O, who is fresh off a number of new singles, which I’ve praised in the column before. Like her mother, Róisín O bridges the gap between the Irish music tradition and the pop scene, and she has a voice equally enchanting—perhaps even more so—than her mother. Creativity is clearly in the genes.
Róisín O’s enchanting voice shows musical creativity is in the genes.
Don’t miss your chance to see Mary Black live—this will quite literally be your last. And to have the added bonus of seeing rising superstar Róisín O live? Can’t be missed. Black and O will be playing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in late July, then they head out West in August. If you can’t make the live show, give the re-mastered classic “By the Time It Gets Dark” another listen. It’s not just a trip down memory lane, it’s a reminder of the esteemed status of Irish music in the 20th century. For concert details go to www.mary-black.net.
Colleen Taylor's Music Notes column appears in the Irish Echo each week.
