Aoife Clancy has a lovely voice, as anyone who has followed her solo career and her work with Cherish the Ladies already knows. She puts it to good use once again on her album Soldiers & Dreams.

The album begins with "Fighting for Strangers," an arrangement by Gabriel Donahue of more than one traditional song pondering the true cost of war on the individuals who fight in it.

"The Gartan Mothers Lullaby," written by Joseph Campbell, is absolutely gorgeous here, using a light touch on the guitar and accordion (Donahue), tin whistle (Joanie Madden, also from Cherish the Ladies) and chimes (Aoife) to ornament the song without ever drawing attention away from Clancy's delicate voice. Bobby Donavan adds graceful fiddle tracks throughout the album as well, combining with the assembled musicians to provide an excellent backdrop to the vocals, which are the focus of every track.

Aoife takes a more strident tone on a new arrangement of "Two Sisters," a variation on the tale of ultimate sibling rivalry over a suitor. Unlike some versions, however, there is no mystical transformation of the drowned sister into either a swan or a harp, nor is there any justice from beyond the grave at the end. The song features some nice work from uileann piper Jerry O'Sullivan between verses and Madden, now on flute and whistle, as an airy backdrop to Aoife's storytelling song.

The album is a delightful collection of songs, also including "Ronan Og," "High Germany," "Jacob," the wistful "Lovers" and "Love to Do Over," and the absolutely gorgeous "Summertime is Coming (O'-ro')" (which has some particularly nice fiddle and flute harmonies). Aoife also does good service on an a cappella version of the traditional "Rambling Boys of Pleasure" -- without instruments in the mix, you can hear just how good, how strong Aoife's voice can be.

Producer Gabriel Donahue not only co-arranged most of the songs on Soldiers & Dreams, he also provided diverse instrumentation. On various tracks he plays acoustic and electric guitars, piano, accordion, bass, bouzouki, bodhran and synthesizer, and he adds some harmony vocals, too. Aoife also tosses some bodhran licks into the mix -- but it's her singing, not her playing, which will always dominate her work.

Aoife certainly hasn't taken the same musical road traveled by her father, Bobby, and her uncles in the far-famed Clancy Brothers. While they made their name singing more of Ireland's rowdy pub songs, Aoife has chosen a softer, more lyrical, more romantic and sentimental direction. And this certainly seems to be her niche; what she does, she does exceptionally well. For ensemble work, check her out in recent albums by Cherish the Ladies. Or pick up a copy of Soldiers & Dreams for a touching taste of her solo work.