a r t i s t : Mary Coughlan
t i t l e : The House of Ill Repute
d a t e : 2008
l a b e l : Westpark Music
g e n r e : Blues
r l s. d a t e : Dec/2008
t r a c k s : 13
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 57,7 MB
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Born 5 May 1956, Co.Galway, Eire. This acclaimed Irish
singer's troubled upbringing manifested itself in an erratic
career path, including stints as a model and a street-sweeper.
After moving to London in the mid-70s she married and began
raising a family, before terminating the union and returning
to Galway with her children. She began her singing career in
1984, working with Dutch producer Erik Visser (who became her
long-term collaborator).
The following year she made an acclaimed appearance on the
Late Late Show and recorded her first album, which showcased
her powerful and bluesy jazz stylings and became an unexpected
bestseller in her native Ireland. Despite her ongoing personal
problems, Coughlan continued to reap praise for her recorded
output on WEA Records. On Under The Influence she revived the
1948 Peggy Lee hit "Don't Smoke In Bed" and the Billie Holiday
ballad "Good Morning Heartache", as well as Christy Moore's
"Ride On".
In 1988, Coughlan made her acting debut in Neil Jordan's
High Spirits, and released Ancient Rain. Her fourth album,
Uncertain Pleasures, was recorded in England with producer
Peter Glenister, former musical director for Terence Trent
D'Arby.
It included new compositions by Mark Nevin (Fairground
Attraction) and Bob Geldof as well as cover versions of the
Rolling Stones' "Mother's Little Helper" and the Elvis Presley
hit "Heartbreak Hotel".
Coughlan began straightening her personal life out in the
mid-90s, and signed a new recording contract with Big Cat
Records. The label issued an excellent live set and her US
debut, After The Fall. In June 2000, Coughlan presented a
series of multimedia shows in Dublin celebrating Billie
Holiday, a singer whose life story has close parallels to
Coughlan's own.
She embarks on the next phase of her career with an
extraordinary new album. Entitled æThe House of Ill ReputeÆ û
its thirteen songs represent the end of a thirteen year
relationship in MaryÆs life. The album re-unites her with Erik
Visser, whose previous work with Mary has inspired them both
to career best performances on the albums æTired And
EmotionalÆ and æAfter The FallÆ albums. Seldom has there been
a better matched maestro and muse; as the immaculate song
selection, sympathetic arrangements and matchless performances
on this record reflect.
The first single is the late Kirsty MacCollÆs wry discourse
on misadventure æBadÆ, an early highlight of an album that
runs the gamut of emotions like a long night of Reeperbahn
madness. Flirtatious on æLove Is ExtraÆ, salacious on
æPornographyÆ, outrageous on æTootsiesÆ; Madame Coughlan knows
the intimate details of all the visitors to The House of Ill
Repute. And in the cold light of the morning, we find them
adrift on the emotional tundra of æAntarcticaÆ or clinging to
the barren (Celtic) rock of æThe Whore Of BabylonÆ.
ItÆs often said that an artistÆs best work is made under the
most trying of personal circumstances. With the release of
æThe House of Ill ReputeÆ; Mary Coughlan emerges from the
catharsis of record making, waking up to a new day; confident
in the knowledge that she has produced an album which will
stand up as one of the very best of her stellar career to
date.
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01-The House of Ill Repute [03:10]
02-Sleep on it [03:33]
03-Bad [02:45]
04-Pornography [03:28]
05-Love is Extra [03:15]
06-Mary Mary [04:11]
07-Tootsies [03:16]
08-In Your Darkened Room [03:39]
09-Some Cats Know [04:02]
10-Moon in A Taxi Car [03:49]
11-Antarctica [04:47]
12-Whore of Babylon [04:36]
13-Tango [03:42]
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48:13 min