Fil Campbell & Tom McFarland
Album: Back There
Label: Glenshee
Tracks: 17
Website: http://www.filcampbell.com

Fil (Philomena) Campbell hails from Belleek on the Co. Fermanagh/Donegal border. She's a very fine singer whose special talent is for making each song she sings her own, by judicious deployment of her exquisitely moulded tone and slight vibrato for expressive enhancement. Fil's profile has arguably been at its highest with her project Songbirds, on which around ten years ago she provided insights into the lives of women singers in Ireland who had recorded the popular folk songs of the 30s, 40s and 50s.

Aside from this key project, though, in tandem with her life and musical partner Tom, she's granted me some memorably intimate and life-affirming live gigs over the years, and it's been good to see them returning to touring together again over the past few months, "back there" in the folk clubs where I first saw them close on two decades ago. They've lost none of their magic, and their choice of material remains both enterprising and perfectly suited to their interpretive talents and artistic personalities; but their performances are now informed by an even greater maturity of expression, an even more relaxed approach to the communication of the songs (some might say a little too relaxed on occasion, but to me that's part of their appeal). For this latest album, the songs have been typically carefully selected, with the stories they tell possessing the loose linking theme of wishes.

Many of them are from the pens of Irish songwriters - for instance, sweet nostalgia characterises the items by Kieran Goss and Derry man Tony Kerr, and the writing team of Charlie McGettigan and Irene McCoubrey donate the affectionately wishful tribute Shine You Diamonds, while Paul Lee and Thom Moore are jointly responsible for the tender Alana On The Lane, which preserves the memory of a little girl who sadly passed away very young.

Two other lovely songs turn out to have been co-written by Fil herself (the emigration tale A Wish For Emily with Enda Cullen, and the true story of The White Beach with husband Tom). A priceless jewel forming a keystone of this collection is Steve Ashley's Best Wishes (learnt from the singing of Grace Notes), while two further disc highpoints come with the pair of songs on which Tom finally makes his appearance taking the vocal lead, Thom Moore's gorgeous love song My Cavan Girl and the catchy Come Rain Or Come Shine by ex-pat Scot David Francey.

The prevailing comforting vibe of this record is not entirely down to the tenor of the songs themselves, for Fil and Tom's loving interpretations and their gentle, sensitively understated playing are greatly enhanced by the contributions of their chosen accompanists, who comprise Seamus Brett (accordion), Nuala Curran (cello), John Fitzpatrick (fiddle, viola), Danny McGreevy (uilleann pipes, whistle), Brendan Monaghan (whistles), Gerard Thompson (guitar) and Fil's regular collaborator James Blennerhassett (bass). A very attractive disc, to be sure, and one that won't disappoint lovers of good songs well sung and arranged.

David Kidman