13. Mary Coughlan: Under The Influence (1987): Intoxicating As Well...

This album is a classic showcase of the young record buyer under the influence: In 1987, I had never heard of Mary Coughlan, and consequently never heard any of her music. Then I read a raving review in the Soundi magazine - my musical bible through the eighties and nineties - and bought it from Levymyynti, THE record store in my then hometown Turku if you were looking for something that wasn't on the charts - and fell in love. Afterwards I have bought half a dozen more of Mary's albums, but none of them measure up to this collection.

What is it that makes it so great? Stylistically, it's quite varied for popular music - there's a sound foundation of jazz-influenced pop - from the stunning starters "The Laziest Girl" and "Ice-Cream Man" to the broadly sweeping yet emotionally charges "AWOL", sprinkled with sounds from the theatre stage such as the tragically tender "Fifteen Only" and folk influences such as the chanson-more-than-Celtic "My Land Is Too Green" and the simply gorgeous remake of the McCarthy-penned Christy Moore-staple "Ride On". 

This song is the centrepiece of the album for me - its message comes across just as strongly as in Moores haunting version, but the upped tempo and Davey Spillane's uileann pipes in a eightyish soundscape make this the most obvious example of the mega-hit that never was that I can think of.

Overall, the production is timeless rather than time-bound - and spot-on, since it creates the perfect stage for the most important feature of the album, Mary's voice.

From what I've read about her life and career, the feeling she conveys of having lived through the pains and pleasures she sings about seems all the more real, and her alto, her sense of nuance and drama and her Irish accent make for one of the most unique musical experiences I know. I daresay she would have made a great rock interpreter in the style of Maggie Bell, and she´s up there with Mavis Staples and Millie Jackson for the soulfulness - but in fact the stylistic variation and rather open soundscape make for an even better setting. She may have been under the influence, but whatever substance did it for her works through the music, because I find it intoxicating.