Celtic singer sweet and wistful

With March and St. Patrick’s Day not too far in the future, it’s time to start thinking music — traditional Celtic music.

Sara Banleigh

The Folk EP

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Rocks Like: The Pogues, Sinead O’Connor

With March and St. Patrick’s Day not too far in the future, it’s time to start thinking music — traditional Celtic music.

The debut EP from piano-based folk singer Sara Banleigh, aptly named The Folk EP, is a good addition to any collection of world-folk music. Her music features 100-year-old songs from Ireland and the British Isles.

The Folk EP follows the tradition of Irish and British music with its narrative lyrics; each of the five songs tells a different story. Many have dark themes about unrequited love, betrayal and murder. Known as Caoineadh songs — essentially the traditional Irish version of the blues — most of the tracks on the album run a bit on the depressing side, which is a bit overwhelming by the third song.

“Mary Hamilton” and “Geordie,” Scottish and British songs respectively, are melancholy, given the subject. Both are semihistorical stories of public hangings but at the same time, both have a sad sweetness that keeps them from being overly gloomy.

Overall Banleigh makes good use of her two best assets, her unusual voice and her skill with the piano, by arranging songs to complement both.

Not typically accepted by Irish-music purists who stick to traditional instruments like fiddles, flutes, guitars and the bodhran, Banleigh’s piano adds a level of interest to a genre of music that can otherwise be slightly homogenous.

“Railroad Boy,” the opening track and one of the best songs on the EP, showcases Banleigh’s haunting voice with an a cappella introduction, followed by a simple accompaniment of piano and violin.