I am in bed doing this review, half hiding under the duvet with my cat as the rain lashes down outside. It’s Friday night and I had a disappointing meal out at a local Lebanese restaurant which managed to serve surprisingly bland food (the company in the form of my partner was great, the food not). Anyway, it was to go to sleep or do a review. I’m doing a review, but at this time of night it has to be a folk song. It just happens to be the new outing from Muireann Bradley,(27k + monthly listeners on Spotify now, and figures elsewhere that really point to something going on).
Let me share the press release with you (above photo credit Isha Shah):
Though it was brought into the wider public’s consciousness by Nico in 1967 as part of her celebrated Chelsea Girls album, the song “These Days” was originally penned by a teenage Jackson Browne. Muireann’s version nods to the track’s folky roots, while putting her own youthful stamp on the classic, complete with lush strings and her signature bright vocals.
Muireann says, “I’ve always loved ‘These Days’, I first heard it in the Wes Anderson movie ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and really fell for it. I started playing it at home and then recently started to play it in my live shows. The audiences really liked it, so it was a natural step to record it. I love the lyrics, and the finger-picked guitar part that the 16-year-old Jackson Browne (who wrote the song) played on the original Nico recording. I had to change the melody to make it work for my voice which is always a bit of a worry with such a beloved and iconic song, but I hope everyone enjoys listening to it as much as I love playing it.”
18-year-old Muireann is rapidly garnering a devout fanbase, thanks to her unique style which blends traditional guitar playing with personal and mature interpretations of classic songs that belie her years. She recently covered Bob Dylan’s classic “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” for Mahogany Sessions. Muireann is bringing folk and blues and their story-rich songs to a whole new generation; after enchanting a huge crowd at last summer’s Green Man Festival on the main stage, this year has seen her play at Hackney’s EartH, The Great Escape, Bearded Theory festival, End Of The Road and many more, including a run of dates in the US, taking in Washington DC, Brooklyn, Nashville and Chicago.
Today’s release also heralds the announcement of her debut UK headline tour: kicking off in Dublin on the 9th November, the 8-date run takes in iconic venues such as The Lexington in London, Komedia in Brighton and Bristol’s Louisiana. Full tour routing is below, tickets are available here. On the 20th September, Muireann will perform and be in conversation with the iconic folk revival figure Peggy Seeger as part of Subterranean, a new festival at the Southbank Centre. Programmed by Broadside Hacks, Bird on the Wire, Rough Trade Records and Skinty Records, the festival champions the subterranean music and traditions of today.”
My review:
“These Days” is a perfect song for listening to while relaxing and unwinding. The acoustic guitar perfectly underpins those serene vocals. Muireann sings and the late Summer breeze whisps through your room, you sit and watch the tide gently coming over the stones- you let the world wash by.
The single was released on September 11 and is on all platforms now.
I will also pick up two other tracks by this young artist that I enjoyed listening to tonight,
“Green Rocky Road” has an intimacy and immediacy that had me sitting in the same room as the performer. The crisp production was just right, I felt the performance was there with me, just Muireann and her guitar. This one can be found on her 2025 album “I Kept These Old Blues.”
“Police Dog Blues” was a track by one of the early Blues men Blind Blake, known for his ragtime/blues rhythms. Muireann keeps the early sentiment of the song, adapts the lyrics ever so slightly and retains an authentic Southern feel to the track. It’s cleverly done and I was actually impressed!
Thus, Muireann Bradley isn’t just covering classics—she’s breathing new life into them, making each note feel timeless yet fresh. “These Days” proves she has the rare gift of turning songs into moments, and moments into memories.
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You can stream music from Muireann Bradley here
By Lorraine Foley