Artist: Aoife O’Donovan (featuring Kris Drever)
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
Single: “Transatlantic”
Release Date: March 17, 2021
Label: Yep Roc Records
In Their Words: “I started writing ‘Transatlantic’ many years ago after one of my frequent trips across the pond. The lyric started as a classic love song, but when I dusted it off to complete it for this project with the Irish Arts Center, it became something different. I felt strangely moved by the nostalgia and longing for camaraderie, innocently described by my pre-pandemic self. As I finished the tune in January of this year — feeling certain of nothing but the uncertainty of these times — I immediately began to hear the voice of Kris Drever, a friend based in Glasgow. Kris enlisted his trio mates Euan Burton and Louis Abbott to be the rhythm section, and layered the recording with the inimitable strings of Jeremy Kittel. The refrain references the old classic ‘Loch Lomond,’ a ‘song from another time.’ Raise a glass. We will be together again.” — Aoife O’Donovan
Photo credit: Rich Gilligan