Only weeks after turning 17 in December, Muireann Bradley played an atmospherically lit solo spot on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny. Born and bred in County Donegal, she sang the traditional blues song Candyman – taught to revivalists by the renowned gospel musician Reverend Gary Davis in the mid-20th century – with a light and frisky southern US accent, fingerpicking her guitar with playful dexterity. It’s the opening track of her debut album, which only came together when Covid-19 waylaid her interest in combat sports and forced her to hole up with her guitar. She posted videos of herself playing on YouTube, which led to a deal with respected US folk and indie label Tompkins Square.
Recorded in first or second takes, I Kept These Old Blues is unavoidably impressive. Bradley’s bright, limber vocals are clear and inviting, and when she leaps to higher intervals, there’s a thrill in hearing her land back in lower registers with acrobatic effortlessness. She plays around with high-pitched natural harmonics with similar ease, and they’re especially gorgeous in Police Dog Blues, as Bradley tells us: “All my life / I’ve been a travelling gal.”
