At last - a Sinead O'Connor album that isn't overshadowed by the ongoing saga of her troubled personal life. And, by a happy coincidence, it turns out to be one of the very best things she's ever done. Sean-Nos Nua is the record the gutsy Dublin singer says she's always wanted to make, a collection of traditional Irish songs she learnt at her father's knee. But while the material may be old, the treatment is anything but - co-producers Donal Lunny and Adrian Sherwood have skillfully added various wispy electronic effects to the traditional acoustic arrangements, giving the recordings an ethereal feel that's reminiscent of a more authentic Enya. Meanwhile, O'Connor's voice is as pure and hypnotic as ever, perfectly suited to such well-loved Celtic standards as Peggy Gordon, Molly Malone and The Moorlough Shore. It drags a bit in places (Lord Baker, a duet with Christy Moore is stretched out to an unnecessary 12 minutes), but overall Sean-Nos Nua is a clear and unexpected success. For this most wayward of talents it may, of course, only be a temporary aberration before she returns to her pop roots. But it's quite likely that whatever she does in the future, nothing will compare to this.
