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Aoife O'Donovan

Venue: Coda Music and The Pleasance Cabaret Bar
Town: Edinburgh
Date: 30/5/14
Website: http://www.aoifeodonovan.com

Following her captivating performances on BBC's Transatlantic Sessions and at January's Celtic Connections music festival, Boston singer-songwriter, Aoife O'Donovan, brought her intoxicatiing repertoire of folk, alt.country, bluegrass and gospel songs back to Scotland for an Edinburgh date on 30th May.

Previously best-known as the lead singer in progressive bluegrass/string band Crooked Still, Aoife O'Donovan has quickly established a glowing reputation as a solo artist and her entirely self-penned debut album, "Fossils", was one of the musical highlights of 2013.

Aoife's headline gig was at The Pleasance Cabaret Bar but, as an added bonus, she managed to fit in a short instore set at Coda Music in the late afternoon, treating the audience to intimate performances of a selection of songs from "Fossils" plus a beautiful cover of Paul Brady's majestic "Lakes of Ponchartrain". If this hors d'oeuvre at Coda was very tasty, the main course at The Pleasance proved to be mouth-wateringly good.

Support act, Rachel Ries (like Aoife, currently based in New York City), warmed up the stage with an entertaining set of songs drawn from her impressive new album, "Ghost Of A Gardener".

Aoife O'Donovan commanded the stage from the off, radiating charm and wit and oozing talent. All ten songs from the "Fossils" album were played impeccably. Particularly memorable were the anthemic "Oh Mama"; the edgy "Beekeeper"; the rhythmic romp of "Fire Engine"; and the soothing tones of "Red & White & Blue & Gold" (Aoife jokingly drew attention to the similarity between her video for this song and a slightly later One Direction video…).

The great songs just kept on coming. "Magpie" was a moving song, paying tribute to her Grandad O'Donovan and recalling idyllic family holidays in County Cork. Her bewitching cover of "Lakes of Ponchartrain" was followed by the swaggering bluegrass murder ballad "Polly". There was also a brand-new song (as yet un-titled) which Aoife had recently co-written with her friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Sarah Jarosz.

Aoife's set finished on a real high, with a spine-tingling a capella version of the spiritual song "Troubled About Her Soul" segueing seamlessly into her own spirited and uplifting "Lay My Burden Down". For the encore, Aoife welcomed Rachel Ries back on stage to sing with her on a gorgeous version of the Emmylou Harris classic, "Boulder To Birmingham".

Aoife O'Donovan's graceful and expressive vocals connect on an emotional level. She is a major talent and a forthcoming appearance at this year's Glastonbury Festival will no doubt further enhance her burgeoning reputation on this side of the pond.

David Ferguson