POP MUSIC REVIEW : Mary Black’s Folk Goes Pop

Fans of Irish singer Mary Black who know of her from “new adult contemporary” radio--a format as somber and sober as the name implies--may not have known what to make of her when she came on stage at the Roxy and bounced . That’s hardly the subdued manner projected by her recent sophisticated folk-pop album “No Frontiers.”

Fans of her earlier traditional-based folk singing with the groups De Danann and General Humbert were certainly more prepared for that spunk. But they may not have known what to make of her belting out lush ballads with the dramatic flair--not to mention powerful pipes--of a de-twanged, be-brogued Reba McEntire. That’s hardly the earthy purism that generally wins over the folk brigade.

What they both may ultimately make of her is a star. Neither audience is exactly vocal, but both are loyal. And the reception she got in the first of her two Roxy sets on Monday was genuine, enthusiastic and warm.

And largely deserved. Black’s effortlessly lilting voice is clear and controlled, soaring yet subtle. And she has a good ear for songs, many by Irish songwriter Noel Brazil, others by members of her six-piece band or drawn from the folk-pop canon.

It also helps that Black effectively walks the line between pop and folk. Often the difference came down to whether an arrangement featured Carl Geraghty’s saxophone or Maire Bhreatnach’s violin. With a little more of the latter, it wouldn’t even be hard to imagine country radio taking to her voice and personality, Irishness and all. Now there’s a world that knows what to make of bounce and spunk.