Spirit

Reissue. Spirit is a collection of Mary's favorite classical pieces. The album was recorded in 1989 and has been unobtainable for many years. The recordings show off Mary's stunning vocals in a very different way from the folk and pop for which she has been known. The concept of Spirit was to remember favorite pieces of music more as songs rather than as traditional classical pieces, and this especially shows in tracks such as "One Fine Day", "Jerusalem", and the lullaby "Sweet and Low". The album was produced by Benny Gallagher, who with Graham Lyle had written for Mary in her Apple Records days. Alan Park, a founder member of Beggars Opera, arranged and played most of the tracks, and Alan Clark of Dire Straits arranged and played Schubert's "Ave Maria". Spirit adds another dimension to Mary's performances on record. While her liner notes state that there are "No aspirations to classical accuracy here..." the vocals are all the more breathtaking because they are not confined to traditional interpretations and Mary's passion shines through.