Christy Moore with Declan Sinnott
Live in Dublin 2006
Columbia
828768 27772; 2 CDs; 132 minutes; 2006
Ireland’s favourite balladeer
seems to have entered recording hyperdrive of late, releasing Burning
Times in 2005 and the mammoth 6-disc Box Set in the
previous year. Indeed, this new double set is actually his fourth live
collection, though entirely different in mood and approach to 1994’s often
raucous Live at The Point. 
That Dublin venue might be
the same as that utilised for this new live set, but one major difference is
that this is no solo outing since Moore’s old mucker from Moving Hearts Declan
Sinnott is also present, providing an assortment of electric and acoustic
guitars and even getting his own vocal spot on Corinna Corinna.
The album’s thirty-two
tracks stretch across the forty years of Christy’s career and, as he notes
himself, ‘some were well rehearsed while others were more of the moment’.
Confidence oozes from Moore’s pores and Sinnott provides a more than capable
foil, but (apart from the latter’s guitarwork) there’s little new here. The
abiding sensation is of a powerful singer able to draw from a phenomenally extensive
back catalogue and retain the ability to explore a song’s lyrics no matter how
many times he’s sung it before (and aficionados of Moore will already possess
most of the songs performed here).
The mood is generally
relaxed, though Christy certainly lets rip on ‘Faithful Departed’. As ever, the
man’s a master at dealing with hecklers – when someone calls for ‘Nancy
Whiskey’ he retorts ‘You probably haven’t noticed, but we’ve got another one
started’.
Overall, it’s a grand
souvenir for anyone lucky enough to witness recent concerts, and if you weren’t
there, the same titled DVD (Columbia 828768 27789) will show you what you were
missing (though don’t expect much excitement from the sight of two middle-aged
musicians remaining seated throughout the gig). If you want to hear Moore in
all his pomp and prime head for Live at The Point instead.
This review by Geoff Wallis originally appeared in Songlines magazine – www.songlines.co.uk.