CATHIE RYAN "The Farthest Wave" Shanachie

CATHIE RYAN"The Farthest Wave"Shanachie

Cathie Ryan, the Irish American singer-songwriter and former member of Cherish the Ladies, is blessed with a soprano voice that's both lovely and affecting. It's a potent combination that helps account for why "The Farthest Wave" is the nearest thing to an uninterrupted pleasure.

Ryan's heartfelt songwriting and firm grasp of traditional Celtic music also distinguish her fourth solo release, allowing it to sit comfortably alongside the recordings of her Irish-born peers Mary Black and Maura O'Connell. Not bad company.

Writing and singing about characters unburdening all their cares and woes is one of Ryan's specialties. So it isn't surprising to encounter a strong current of emotional yearning on "Wave," a soulful intensity that bridges the original tunes, including the title cut, co-penned by Scottish tunesmith Karine Polwart, with the traditional gems "As the Evening Declines" and "What Will You Do, Love?" -- an unvarnished vocal duet with Sean Keane.

Ryan has rounded up lots of kindred musicians and composers here, and it seems awfully likely that John Spillane's inspirational anthem "The Wildflowers" and Polwart's poetic ballad "Follow the Heron" will soon become concert favorites. Guitarist John Doyle jacks up the rhythmic pulse at times, especially on the opening track "What's Closest to the Heart," and joins fiddler John McCusker and accordionist Phil Cunningham in accenting the crisp arrangements as Ryan makes her way to the album's comforting coda, "Home Sweet Home."

-- Mike Joyce

Appearing Sunday at the Lyceum in Alexandria.