Mary Kathleen Burke

Layout by CoolChaserA word from Mary
Visit The Mary K Burke Official Website here
Welcome to my myspace warm regards and thank you to all the wonderful people I have met through myspace some of whom have become dear friends. If your new on my page please add . My Debut album " A song in her heart" . has now been released by Greentrax and can be ordered online on their site.It is in all good record Stores worldwide . For full bio reviews etc please visit my Official website at www.marykburke.co.uk . I hope you will enjoy my music and if you like it please tell your friends. I always try to get back to everyone who takes the time to listen and comment so if you dont hear back straight away I will get around to it I like to take time to listen so I may not tell you in two minutes if I like your music:)
I have recently started presenting a show on Celtic Music Radio on 1530AM and also online at Celtic Music Radio and have been playing some talent from myspace and some other establised artists so if you get a chance on sun nights between 8pm and 10pm tune in Haste ye Back! Mary
Reviews & QuotesDr Ian Green describes Mary Kathleen Burke as "a brilliant talent". "I’ve been in the music business for more than 40 years," he said, "and I’ve not heard many like her. She’s a wonderfully gifted performer, and a natural musician with an absolutely gorgeous voice. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she is going to become a great star."
Longing for home is a common theme in folk music and on this album it is epitomised by ‘My Scotsman & Thee’ with the tale of longing for home, visiting home but loving someone from another land. Sung here almost three decades after it was written by a 19-year-old Burke it sounds “hot off the presses”. This is an outstanding first album, even if she waited about 30 years to burst on the scene, and I look forward to many more. Nicky Rossiter (Irish Music Magazine)
She's been living in Scotland for a quarter of a century, but you can't take the Irish out of her voice, or her music. As Tanya with her band Sneaky Moon, as vocalist in Scots country outfit Nevada, and in time spent running a Scottish Country Music agency, her link to that transatlantic stream of Irish/Scots music is as strong as her vocal ability – and she includes Eleanor McEvoy's US hit 'A Woman's Heart' here. Donovan's 'Catch The Wind' makes it, as does Burns' 'Ae Fond Kiss' and various band settings of contemporary compositions among the trad. ( Norman Chalmers , Scotland on Sunday)
This has to be one of the best debut albums I have heard !- beautiful voice, choice of songs and arrangements. I shall certainly be playing it on my Sunday evening show on Radio Borders. Karin Ingram (Presenter, The Sunday Getherin')
This album is a mix of traditional and recent songs, including A Woman’s Heart, of which the composer, Eleanor McEvoy, described Mary’s version as "truly beautiful".
"there's an element of nostalgia that you tend to find only among longtime exiles... something different and charming" (Sarah McQuaid, Evening Herald reviewer)
"Using her strong, passionate voice to good effect" (Spectrum FM Radio, Australia)
"The album arrived yesterday and I am afraid I can't stop listening. Many thanks for this beautiful record" (Bernard Jean, Musiques Sans Frontieres, France)
"Album Of The Week" (Celtic Connections Radio, Glasgow) just one week after its release!
‘A SONG IN HER HEART’ by MARY KATHLEEN BURKE (Greentrax) RELEASE DATE FEBRUARY 1st 2008 (A brief preview written by CHRIS HOLMES. Author and Journalist )
“A Song In Her Heart”, debut release by Mary Kathleen Burke (Greentrax, 2008)
“I was a bit tearful when I heard the playback of the song I wrote when I was 19 and homesick” said Mary Kathleen Burke, during the recording of her album, a mixture of self-penned material and “other songs”; the latter including an outstanding interpretation of Donavan’s ‘Catch The Wind’.
Sometimes a songwriter can be too smart for their own good, but this singer and musician knows when to keep it simple. The technical ability on guitar is as clear as the voice. But rhythm, harmony and lyrics don’t need to show off, and here is the proof. There is a positive wave of romance throughout the album. ‘James’ has a hint of Paris about it. ‘Give Me Time’ is undeniably and hypnotically ‘Celtic’, whilst the track ‘My Scotsman and Thee’ deals with the perennial ‘Exile’ theme of many an Irish ballad, but with raw honesty and a twist in the tale. The romantic spirit coursing through this album never threatens to rise up and swamp the songs. There is a much subtler groove at work, with some remarkable outside contributions. pAs Bob Dylan once sang, “Things Have Changed”, a satire on cynicism and a weary modern update on his hopeful “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. But Mary Kathleen Burke is singing to a different tune. She stands as an example of how paying your dues - a weary cliché in these days of instant ‘celebrity’ status - brings its own rewards, but only if you have the talent to accompany the effort. And perhaps the love of and need for music has more than a little to do with it all.Chris Holmes-Author and Journalist

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