Le Solas Faoithine

It’s been a wait for a follow-up to Jack Warnock’s debut EP in 2013. A decade on, the County Derry-born and bred multi-instrumentalist and singer has kept his hand in well enough to have picked up gongs at the An Ré Nua and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competitions, been a BBC Young Folk Award finalist in 2018, and guested on half a dozen recordings. Now, taking its inspiration from what Warnock calls ‘the Golden Hour,’ comes his first long-player, Le Solas Faoithine (By Dusklight), an 11-track collection of traditional songs (in English and Irish) and tunes, with a lilting cover of Kate Rusby’s ‘William & Davy’.

Self-produced with Dónal O’Connor, who also contributes flute and keyboards, Warnock’s light, subtly grained tenor vocals are matched by his dexterous way with guitars, mandolin and piano, a pleasant combination pitched at straightforward storytelling without extraneous embellishment or commentary. Some will find it all a touch polite. Bland even. Warnock’s growing fanbase will welcome his understated lyrical approach.