Rural blues, Folk music, Americana. All titles that have been used to describe the rich acoustic sounds of America pre-Second World War. Post war, British bands like the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and The Blues Breakers, re-discovered and mined the depths of this rich vein of music, kicking of the British Blues Boom of the 1960s. Now it's the turn of Muireann Bradley, a seventeen-year-old musician from Ireland’s County Donegal.
‘I Kept These Old Blues’ is the debut album by Muireann Bradley. Inspired by her father’s record collection, Bradley grew up in one of Ireland’s most rural counties surrounded by the music, myths and legends of blues pioneers such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt and Memphis Minnie.
The first thing that strikes the listener about ‘I Kept These Old Blues’, is the fluidity of Bradley’s playing. She clearly has developed her own style based on Piedmont picking. Her accomplished playing is evident on the two instrumentals on the album, ‘Vestapol’ and ‘Buck Dancer’s Choice’.
Due to COVID lockdowns, the album was recorded over a two year period, but what is really remarkable about it, is the fact that the chosen songs were all recorded in one or two takes with no additional musicians or overdubs. Just the way the old blues musicians did it.
Further highlights include Bradley’s own take on classics such as ‘Candyman’, ‘Police Dog Blues’, ‘Stagolee’ and ‘Freight Train’. Her voice is a natural fit for a genre that was predominantly male dominated, and her adaptions are more than just cover versions, as she confidently tackles the songs, making them her own.
County Donegal has a special place in the history of Irish music. Rory Gallagher, Clannad, Altan and Enya all hail from the county on the rugged North West Coast of Ireland. Now, with her stunning debut album, sell out concerts and appearances on national television, Muireann Bradley’s name can be added to that illustrious list.