The covers that comprise Dexys’ fifth album are rather more inspired than its none-more-descriptive title suggests, from Irish folk standards such as Carrickfergus and The Curragh of Kildare through to a powerful rendition of Rod Stewart’s You Wear It Well and even a successful reimagining of LeAnn Rimes’s How Do I Live. Kevin Rowland hasn’t lost his ability to convey passion and empathy, qualities never more apparent than on The Town I Loved So Well, Phil Coulter’s mournful reflection on Troubles-era Derry. Lest that all sounds too downbeat, it comes sandwiched between deliriously joyful takes on Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now and the Friends of Distinction’s Grazing in the Grass. It all makes for an excellent follow-up to 2012’s comeback album, One Day I’m Going to Soar.
