Artistically Maura O’Connell strips down to bare essentials and reveals the strength and purity of her singing on this a cappella project. Joining O’Connell are a host of compatriots from her native Ireland and her current Nashville home, including Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Tim O’Brien, Mary Black, and Paul Brady. Rendered in this stark manner, the songs featured here take on a heart-tugging, sometimes confrontational power. O’Connell’s rich, earthy voice connects with the tragedy inherent in tunes as different as “Some People’s Lives,” “The Blacksmith,” and “Hay una Mujer Desapercida.” She fully captures the romantic torment of “Weakness In Me” and embodies the longing found in “The Beggar’s Heart.” The vocal match-ups are frequently inspired, with the gospel harmonizing of Darrell Scott and the Settles Connection on “Shipbuilding” achieving a particular beauty. A special treat is the Gaelic-language numbers, including the dark-toned “Mo Sheamuseen” (an unlikely vocal pairing with dobro wizard Jerry Douglas) and the stirring “Anach Cuain.”