It has been said that almost half the population of Australia can claim Celtic roots. Maireid Sullivan is a resident of Australia, but was born and spent most of her childhood in Ireland. Growing up in a musical family, she then spent most of her teenage years in San Francisco listening to the American music of the '60s.

Her CD, Never Drift Apart, is a pleasant mixture of traditional and contemporary Irish, English and American music. Her soothing unique voice reminds me of singers like June Tabor, Niamh Parsons and Susan McKeown.

The title track is the CD's only original tune and has a soothing Celtic/new age sound to it. Maireid has a strong ability to perform other artists' songs, and one of the best examples is her cover of Eric Clapton's "River of Tears." She also does a very nice job covering Ry Cooder's "Across the Borderline." On the more Irish side, her rendition of Tommy Makem's "The Curlew Song" is hauntingly beautiful. On the traditional side, she does a nice version of "When I Was on Horseback" and "Go from My Window," which has a beautiful guitar and fiddle accompaniment.

Never Drift Apart includes a good group of musicians, most notably her partner, American guitarist Ben Kettlewell. Maireid has a special interest in exploring the roots of Celtic culture with her music and poetry. Her wide range of musical influences which are very tastefully blended together make this an enjoyable CD.

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