Mary Black has been at the forefront of Irish music for over 25 years. Stories From the Steeples marks the 2012 reunion of Mary Black, recognized as Ireland’s premiere female vocalist, with Blix Street, whose Gifthorse label established Black in America in 1990.

Stories From the Steeples, named for the Dublin studio where it was recorded, comes straight from the heart. Eleven songs of life, love, loss, struggle and hope are the perfect rocky terrain for Black. With writers rooted in Ireland, Australia, the UK and America, the diverse and adventurous material offers more than a few delicious surprises.

“Mary’s voice – a precision instrument of beauty that the passing years only seem have furnished with yet more grace and compassion.” – Mike Wilson, folking.wordpress.com

“Despite its title and front cover art, Stories from the Steeples, Mary Black’s first recording in six years, is not a collection of hymns. It is titled for the Dublin studio where it was recorded. These 12 new selections are, in typical Black form, an impeccable mix of traditional-sounding and contemporary material. There is an enormous list of contributing players on these sessions, but the constants are guitarist Bill Shanley, keyboardist and accordionist Pat Crowley, double bassist Nick Scott, and fiddler Matt McGranahan…Three duets are strategically placed in this set. “Walking with My Love,” an easy shuffler, is sung with countryman and Irish music legend Finbar Furey, who also plays banjo on it. “Lighthouse Light” sounds like it could have come from Ireland in the early 1960s (and maybe its melody originally did), but it was actually written by the Boston-based Irish songwriter Ry Cavanaugh; it features Black singing with the incomparable Janis Ian. The real surprise though, is the album’s first single, “Mountains to the Sea,” written by Australians Shane Howard and Neil Murray. Walking the line between Celtic, contemporary folk, and pop, Black is joined by countrywoman and chart-topping rock & roll singer Imelda May. Each woman does what she does best — May doesn’t rein herself in, Black doesn’t try to rock it up. Their voices, phrasing, and timbres complement one another beautifully, weaving together seamlessly on the refrain… Stories from the Steeples is a welcome return for one of contemporary folk music’s finest voices and most original stylists; it is also a stand-out album in Black’s solo catalogue.” – Thom Jurek, allmusic.com

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London