An Astonishing First Glimpse at the Breadth of Irish Musician Muireann Bradley: I Kept These Old Blues

18-year-old Irish musician Muireann Bradley has released a stunning rendition of Bob Dylan’s classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” a standout favorite from her live show. This stunning session quickly follows the re-release of Muireann’s acclaimed debut album I Kept These Old Blues on Decca Records/Verve Forecast. The first pressing sold out everywhere and is already regarded as a collectible among in-the-know music fans – truly remarkable given Bradley was just 15 years old when she recorded it. Now remixed and remastered by Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Kevin Reeves, I Kept These Old Blues demonstrates the kind of assuredness and skill to be expected of a musician five times her age, on blues standards such as Blind Blake’s “Police Dog Blues” as well as Rev Gary Davis’s “Candyman.”

Muireann says, “I grew up listening to Bob Dylan, and while I love the stuff from when he turned electric, I really love the early acoustic records - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is my favorite, and ‘Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright’ has always been one of my favorite songs. Not only does it have that killer finger picking and mouth organ, but it has this really cool natural chord progression and melancholy melody and lyrics. I learned the song a couple of years ago and always had it in pretty good shape because I played it a lot at home. The first time I received an encore on stage, I couldn’t think of what to play, then thought I’ll play ‘Don’t Think Twice.’ It went down really well and it’s been in my live set ever since!” Speaking on the recording process, Muireann shares, “We recorded it live in the studio on an old tape machine with my Waterloo WL-14. I had a really bad head cold and a sore throat that day and could barely sing, but I actually really like how it turned out!”

A remarkable talent hailing from the small town of Ballybofey in County Donegal, Ireland, Muireann’s unique style blends traditional Blues stylings with personal and mature interpretations of classic songs from the genre, originally recorded in the 1920s right up to the 70s. Each track was recorded live in the studio and represents one entire take of her singing and playing guitar simultaneously. “When The Levee Breaks” is a previously unheard addition to the record - Muireann performed the track on The Late Late Show and wowed her fellow guests, acclaimed actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott (watch the performance and interview here).

Muireann’s journey from playing in her bedroom to performing on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on the final day of 2023 (watch here) has captivated audiences, establishing her as one of Ireland’s brightest emerging stars. Now, she is poised for a global breakout, bringing the Blues to a whole new generation - watch a brilliant overview of her story to date here.