POP MUSIC REVIEW : Country by Way of Ireland

As everyone knows, Ireland is right next to Tennessee--just check the titles in any jukebox in County Clare. So Wednesday at the Roxy it was both natural and rewarding for native Clare singer Maura O’Connell to perform with one foot on each side of the border.

O’Connell, like rising pop-folk singer Mary Black, is a veteran of the Irish traditional group De Danaan trying to penetrate the American market. Her two albums for Warner Bros.’ Nashville wing make a good start on that, blending folk and country aesthetics. But in this concert her crossover attempt was based on talent, not concession, relying on strengths she has brought with her across the Atlantic.

Foremost among those is a remarkable alto voice that’s full and rich, yet nimble. She also brings a genial, jolly and passionate demeanor that, like the unaffected playing of the quartet that backed her, connects without resorting to the glitz and gimmickry common in country.

At all times the focus remained on the singer and the songs as O’Connell drew on a mix of Americans (John Hiatt’s soaring “When We Ran”) and Irishmen (Paul Brady’s spirited “Helpless Heart”). She also showed she could hold her own on straight country (Nanci Griffith’s heartland-born “Trouble in the Fields”) and even a Lena Horne-like torch song.

But the most important thing O’Connell brought to Nashville was her own perspective, and when she sang the Lennon-McCartney ballad “For No One,” she brought to mind another woman who imported a new view to Music City: Emmylou Harris.

If she can develop the artistic vision of a Harris or a Rosanne Cash, she might one day have a similar impact.