Helen Roche
Shake the Blossom Early
Own label, HRCH 2323; 51 minutes;
2004
No matter how much music changes, some constants remain and
one resilient principle is that singers of love songs must possess a voice rich
enough to convey the emotions of the songs they sing. Imagine, for instance,
Ronnie Drew singing When a Man’s in Love (not that Ronnie would probably
ever dare!) and you’ll get the picture. Helen Roche has a voice of such
gorgeous range and timbre that love songs fall naturally within its ambit and,
to ramify that point, Shake the Blossom Early is an entire collection of
such songs drawn from the Irish tradition in which the listener’s interests
never dwindle. Indeed, such is the emotional power of Helen’s singing and such
is the sheer quality of her approach to that tradition, embodied by the
subtlety of many of the musical arrangements here, that listening to Shake
the Blossom Early becomes a thoroughly absorbing and utterly gratifying
experience. 
The songs chosen by Helen have been largely drawn from the north of Ireland and, clearly, she has spent much time listening to Paddy Tunney, Sarah Makem, Geordie Hanna, Robert Cinnamond and the McPeakes, while her father, Jules, and late grandfather, Bill, are other noteworthy sources. However, while paying tribute to such sources, Helen completely retains her own identity. Comparisons might be drawn with Anne Briggs, though perhaps that singer’s innate earthiness is inimitable, or with Cara Dillon, though Helen reveals none of the twee elements which sometimes infiltrate Cara’s recordings.
The album’s title derives from The Draighneán Donn, learnt from the singing of the Keane sisters, and illustrative of the exquisite care applied to the musical arrangements on Helen’s debut. Here it’s the harp of Harriet Earis and Colman Connolly’s low whistle which provide the apposite backing. Elsewhere, as on the opening Green Grows the Laurel, Colman’s uilleann pipes provide a resonant backdrop for Helen’s sensuous rendition of the song, though maybe the most eloquent support is provided by the guitar of Michael Lempelius and the cello of Richard Bolton on As I Roved Out (and that’s only a slight ‘maybe’!).
For simplicity’s sake, Helen’s reading of I Wish My Love Was a Red, Red Rose with producer Andy Metcalfe on guitar is illustrative of this album’s subtle qualities. Helen’s diction throughout this and every other song is utterly perfect and she retains a remarkable capacity to resist over-ornamentation in her delivery.
Sometimes, though very rarely, Helen’s voice does waver, but that’s the merest of quibbles in regard to this thoroughly gorgeous, fulfilling and utterly essential album. Shake the Blossom Early is a consummate delight.
Geoff Wallis
12th November, 2004
Helen’s website
is the eponymous www.helenroche.net.
The album
is distributed in the UK by Copperplate.