Maria Doyle Kennedy is a powerful mixture between a folk siren and a punk-diva. She is one of the great voices of Ireland. The Celtic Patti Smith.

Charm (2001) was a triumph of self-determination that encompassed everything from unadulterated rock 'n' roll to left-field Americana and the kind of lyrical sensibility that suggested Lorca rewriting creepy Eastern European fairytales. It also yielded a slew of singles, including Without U, Babes and Stars Above.

A lot has happened since then. She set up her own Mermaid label, garnered a brace of Meteor Award nominations, presided over the release of the Sirens compilation (featuring Patti Smith, PJ Harvey and Lisa Germano among others) and more to the point, toured relentlessly at home and all over Europe, playing Glastonbury and Witnness, all the time forging the new sounds and textures demanded by her rapid growth as a singer, bandleader and songwriter.

Maria is an incurable romantic who sings from her heart; no other artist sings with such commitment and emotion. She began singing with Hothouse Flowers and recorded their first single with them. Following on from this Maria records two albums with the Black Velvet Band for Elektra Records. Shortly afterwards Maria scored a starring role in The Commitments as Natalie Murphy one of the backing singers.

People have fallen in and out of love listening to the most enduring and magical songs of deep sensitivity that have been sung over her twenty year career. A truly progressive artist Maria has never been one to stay with a tried and tested sound, preferring to explore, experiment and break new ground. Her trade mark melodies and lyrics are in a class of their own and her voice which is steeped in pleasure and pain, joy and fear and love and hate, expresses emotion like no other and can reduce even the strongest of people to tears.

Folk? Blues? Rock? Trip Hop? Maria refuses to conform to any particular music genre whilst simultaneously embracing them all. Without fail she always takes the less travelled road in search of new experiences and inspirations. The diversity and quality of Maria's music is undeniably stunning. A virtuoso musician with a voice to melt the coldest of hearts. Renowned as a live artist not to be missed Maria loves playing live, "I was born to play".

Mermaid Records came about because Maria did not want to haul her ass (and her demo) around the usual round of record companies looking for a deal. So she started her own company, raised some investment and made 'Charm'. Produced by Kieran Kennedy and recorded in 22 days in Temple Bar Music Centre (except for 'Safe From Harm' and 'Bittersweet', which were recorded in West Cork)

Following on from 'Charm', Maria released 'Skullcover', an album of songs written by other people. It's a mad mixture of songs, from Abba to The Bothy Band. Recorded in a week in Schull, West Cork, it is an acoustic album featuring the singing and playing of Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kieran Kennedy, Marja Tuhkanen and Bertrand Gallen. 'Skullcover' has been released in a very limited edition of 1000 copies.

MRCD01 £11.00

Maria Doyle Kennedy- Charm

1. Without U
2. Babes
3. Snow White
4. Stars Above
5. I Scare Myself
6. Safe From Harm
7. Helena
8. Magpie
9. Loving U is Killing Me
10. Bittersweet
11. Revenge is Sour
12. Stars Above (acoustic)

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MRCD07 £11.00

Maria Doyle Kennedy- Skullcover

1. Lovesong
2. Video Killed the Radio Star
3. And I Love You So
4. Red Sails in the Sunset
5. Girls, Girls, Girls
6. Going Down
7. Shipbuilding
8. Sailin Around
9. Death of Queen Jane
10. Still in Love With You
11. Could Not Love You More
12. Breakdown
13. S O S
14. West Virginia