Noble Stranger

Now happily settled in Scotland, Irish flutist and singer Nuala Kennedy delivers a much more cohesive and adventurous third album with Noble Stranger. There's the mix of traditional and original material, but with her band behind her, there is a real sense of togetherness in the sound — these are road-tested veterans who understand each other. The instrumental skills are shown in full force on "Love at the Swimming Pool," which also has a lovely dash of backing vocals to fill out the sound. But what really sets this apart is the use of an old Casio keyboard, given to Kennedy by Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake. It makes a huge difference in the sound, not only on the self-penned opener "Gabriel Sings," but on her take on the old "Lord Duneagle," working well with the acoustic instruments. The centerpiece, though, is the two-part "Asturias," which builds gradually into a sprightly dance of a track, led by Kennedy's flute, with its delicious, pure tone then exploding into full flower for the second part. "The Banks of the Roses" creates something new, a mix of traditional music and gentle '80s electro — it's charming and it works. That Casio has put new life into Kennedy's work and helped raise it to another level. She's moved along as a singer, too, now more assured and bringing a mature warmth to the traditional pieces, while her flute work continues to grow in stature, fluent and always melodic.