Mary Duff
The Country Collection
Rosette Records
★★★★ (out of 5)
Mary Duff has had a successful career for over three decades now and a 2CD boxset featuring 40 country favourites has just been released in time for Christmas.
The collection is compiled from various recordings over the years but that should not detract from its validity. The woman from Co. Meath has a terrific voice that is perfectly suited to the chosen tracks which also features five duets with Daniel O’Donnell.
Mary has of course been touring and recording with Daniel for years and any duets they perform are really polished, as you would expect.
Perhaps at times she might appear to have been in the shadow of her fellow record label-mate Daniel but make no mistake she is a class act as this Country collection shows. A lot of the songs such as Rose Garden, Stand by Your Man, Crazy, Working Man and 57 Chevrolet among others have of course been covered by countless artists over the years.
To make them sound fresh and put your own stamp on them requires more than just a great voice. It needs total conviction and belief and she certainly has both. Long-standing Mary Duff fans may well have most or all of these tracks on previous albums already, but as an introduction to the Country side of her music and her splendid voice, it is an ideal package.
Given that boxsets seem to be all the rage at the moment this should prove another success for Mary Duff.
