Mary Coughlan and The Whore of Babylon

Mary Coughlan is an absolutely exceptional singer that I have luckily stumbled upon.  The above video is her performing the classic song Magdalen Laundry live.  She is an Irish singer that usually tackles jazz or blues.  If I am being honest, I prefer when she sings more melodical songs, like the one above, or Sleep On It and Your Angel from her excellent album Whore of Babylon.  I also love when she goes batshit crazy such like in title track from Whore of Babylon or the song Antarctica from that same album.  This is all a matter of taste as I’m not a big listener of traditional jazz, especially.  However, even I can tell that she sings jazz and blues with complete authority.  Her phrasing is impeccable and when she goes for the high note, like in Your Angel, it can send chills down your spine.  She is the kind of singer that makes you believe she is living each song while she sings it.  There is a rasp in the back of her voice that sounds like a thousand cigarettes and a thousand bottles or booze.  It is the kind of sound that no TV pop idol could ever hope to achieve, unless they too are willing to go through the looking glass of life.  A great deal of her work is hard to obtain in the U.S. unless you are willing to buy import CD’s.  However you can get The Whore of Babylon and several other albums of hers at digital retailers in here.  She is the real deal.  An fearless artist that sings unflinchingly staring into the abyss.