Acclaimed Irish vocalist and composer Edel Meade released her stunning new solo album ‘Brigids And Patricias’ on 8th March, International Women’s Day.
A strikingly original artist working in the field of jazz, folk and contemporary music; her voice has been described as mesmerising or magical even, while her music is haunting, evocative and powerful. This compelling new collection of original songs reflects on what it means to be an Irish woman living in 21st century Ireland, shaped by Irish history, folklore and contemporary society.
Having worked as a professional jazz vocalist for over a decade, Meade found herself performing in Spanish in Havana, Cuba in 2018 (she doesn’t speak Spanish by the way!) and promptly decided it was time to connect with music from Ireland and to explore what it means to be a creative artist from Co. Tipperary.
Standout tracks from the album include ‘Song For Bridget Cleary’ (burnt alive by her husband in 1895, not far from where Meade grew up in Co. Tipperary, although he insisted she had been taken away by the fairies!), ‘Long Way To Go’ a scintillating spoken word piece addressing misogyny and the cervical smear scandal in Ireland and ‘Ode To Old Noll’, a blistering ode to Oliver Cromwell who sent thousands of Irish people to the West Indies in the 17th century, among them, members of Meade’s family, some of whom continue to reside on the Caribbean island of Montserrat today.
“I wanted to explore what it means to be an Irish woman in order to understand who I am as an artist. I felt I needed to look at historic events as well as contemporary social issues and of course I believe it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times.” Edel Meade
‘Brigids and Patricias’ was recorded at Ventry Studios, Dublin in between lockdowns following on from the success of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Blue Fantasia’ in 2017. For Edel Meade, music-making is less about playing within the confines of a particular genre and more about stretching her abilities as a creative artist with something to say. ‘Brigids and Patricias’ is available from edelmeade.com and Bandcamp.
Photo: Berit Alits
