A Woman's Heart: A Decade On

Since it was released a decade ago, A Woman’s Heart, a survey of Irish female singers and instrumentalists, has become one of the best-selling Celtic music albums ever, and volume 2 sold almost as well. The present incarnation reunites the original participants but also includes Irish-American voices. Dolly Parton’s "In The Sweet By And By" and Alison Krauss’s "Down To The River To Pray" recall an old-time Appalachian tent revival. Accordionist Sharon Shannon and The Wild Bullocks resemble a hip ceili big-band on "The White Strand Sling." The Corrs obsess over an attractive deceiver on "I Know My Love," while Sinead O’Connor is tenderness incarnate on "This Is To Mother You." But Dolores Keane’s rendition of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" is beyond poignant. Her silky alto, flanked by a mournful cello, two male singers, and a distant children’s choir, imbues a classic anti-war ballad with renewed urgency and pathos. --Christina Roden