Katell Keineg

The Lobby, Cork, June 26 2003

After a hiatus of sorts from the Irish live scene, the idiosyncratic Ms Keineg recently undertook a mini tour of the country as a belated attempt to plug her E.P. ('What's the Only Thing Worse Than the End Of Time').

Playing by herself gave ample room for her expressive voice to enrapture the small but appreciative audience, however occasionally due to the cramped surroundings the vocal sometimes appeared to be pushed too far up in the mix. Also, her guitar playing left a little to be desired during some songs, which weretaken from the new E.P as well as her albums 'O Saisons O Chateaux' and (the under-rated) 'Jet'.

Despite any reservations I may have had about the mix or her guitar playing my prayers were soon answered when we were treated to a version of Katell's epic masterpiece 'There You Go'. She also showed her Breton roots by singing a traditional song from her birthplace that was a distant cousin of some of the less polished Sean Nós tunes from our own country. Having to step back from the mic in order to concentrate fully, the space allowed Katell's voice to breathe, and blossom into the beautiful one recognizable from her albums.

Overall the gig was a mixed bag, however one slightly off night does not make this performer any less essential or important.

Ciaran Wrenn