An Sionnach Dubh

Dàibhidh Stiùbhard's remarkably assured debut, An Sionnach Dubh (The Black Fox), showcases one of the most individual of voices to emerge in Irish music in recent years. It also offers eloquent evidence of the deepening involvement of Northern Ireland's young artists in their own regional tradition and discovery of increasing kinship with their southern and Scottish neighbours. The dark, peaty soil of Stiùbhard's native County Tyrone seems ingrained in a voice that ranges from lilting poetry to aching lament. Though it borrows from sean snós, it stems instead from the mahogany pews of his Church of Ireland upbringing rather than a traditional music background.

Sung in Irish, English and Scottish Gaelic, there's a timeless quality to the mix of traditional and original songs here, Stiùbhard's distinctive Ulster accent all the more expressive for the delicate vibrato that suspends his voice between past and present. On the album he is backed by bouzouki (Jack Warnock), button accordion (Archie Churchill-Moss) and harmonium (Odhrán Mullan). ‘Vines on the Mountain’ evocatively blends Biblical weight with Middle Eastern mystery while ‘Òran Eile Don Phrionnsa’ tellingly quotes Niall Vallely's ‘Annie's Tae’ with Mary Dillon adding subtle backing vocals. But it is Stiùbhard's voice that catches the ear and the heart here in an impressive, intoxicating showcase.