Agnes Browne

In Agnes Browne, director/actress Angelica Houston tells the tale of an Irish woman who deals with tragedy and hop in 1967 Dublin. Composer Paddy Moloney, best known for his work on Two if by Sea, provided a sometimes lush, always upbeat dramatic score for the film.

The "Opening Theme" is beautifully performed by the Irish Film Orchestra, and has a warm lushness that is topped by a wonderful theme. A more contemporary ensemble is brought together for the rather peppy "Banish the Blues". A harp version of "My Bonnie" is rather simple and moving, and the bagpipes come into play with the moving strains of "Marion's Lament" and "Faith of our Fathers".

The knee-slapping energy of a small ensemble is present in such tracks as "Grab The Money", "Paddy's Mazurka", and the appropriately titled "Tripping Up The Stairs Reel". The Chieftains make two appearances on this album, lending their skills and talents to the traditional "The Last Rose of Summer" and a very enjoyable arrangement of "My Bonnie".

Tom Jones features rather prominently on the soundtrack, and his classics "She's A Lady", "Delilah", and "It's Not Unusual" are included for our listening enjoyment. These sound like the original recordings, and the energy and enthusiasm that Jones has in his performances are simply legendary and always a treat to listen to.

The album runs about 38-minutes in length, and is worth taking a listen to. I do wish that there was a bit more score, as the dramatic cues really showed off Moloney's talent for scoring as well as Ed Shearmur's orchestrations. This soundtrack might suffer the same fate as the under-marketed film and find a niche audience, but I hope that many people will take a listen - even if they haven't seen the film.