Music from the Heart

Born and raised in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland, Ali Comerford started playing and studying classical music at the age of 4. After obtaining a Masters of Violin Performance from London's Royal College of Music, she relocated to New York, completing a Masters of Music in Viola Performance at the Manhattan School of Music on scholarship. Ali’s journey in music has seen her grace the likes of New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Dublin’s National Concert Hall. She has toured the world with Lincoln Center Stage, playing sold out shows around Australia, New Zealand and the United States. After years as a freelance musician for various string ensembles and chamber orchestras in New York, January 2020 saw Ali come home to her native Jenkinstown in Co. Kilkenny. Faced with her biggest stretch of free time in 14 years, Ali used her artistry to process and bring closure to the various ups and downs oflife she experienced during her time traveling the world with her craft.

Eventhough this album is a journey into the folk territory, it's clear Ali Comerford didn't leave her classical training behind after all. She's singing in her own accent, not trying to hide it, quite the opposite in fact and this is what intriguing about her work. Her vocal can't be compared to anybody no matter how hard you try.

There is melancholy in the songs but not the kind that makes you cry. This is the one that makes you think. Comerford's lyrics hit the nail on the head and you see it right in the opening track Don't Wait where she sings "I lost time knocking on doors when I had the wrong key" or "nothing worth it comes easily".

Gently stands up to its title. A quiet ballad guided by the fingerpicking guitar and poignant lyrics.

He Knows, Knots and Come Home were previously released as singles and especially in the first one we feel the classical music training Ali Comerford went through. The string arrangements fit her songs so well you cannot imagine them otherwise. The majority of the lyrics deal with finished relationships and the aftermath. Not in a heartbreaking way, more in the "move forward" way, lokoing towards the path ahead, not trying to find a way back.

Lily's Song is probably the most romantic track on the album. Starting with the words "I wrote this song for an evening just like this", the song talks about a true love and about a friend's happiness her friend found the perfect soulmate.

Warned, the shortest track on the collection, has a big orchestral feel and you only wish it lasted longer than it does. You instantly want Ali Comerford to write more compositions like this one.

There's the string of vulnerability that goes through each track on this well-thought selection. It makes you think, makes you appreciate life and the little things that make you happy.