Welsh-born, Scottish-bred and resident in Ireland, singer-guitarist Katell Keineg somehow reflects each of those landing points (and a few American ones besides) in her hauntingly textured, wildly emotional music. She’s a singer-songwriter by trade — Ô Seasons Ô Castles has its share of relationship-disintegration songs, including the pelting “Franklin” and the more metaphysical “The Gulf of Araby” — but she’s also a bit of a musicologist, and her interest in Irish folksong and jazz-vocal phrasing give her Fred Maher-co-produced debut album surprising depth.
Keineg was signed to Elektra after two songs (“Hestia” and “Destiny’s Darling”) circulated on the Straight Outta Ireland compilation; she chose not to re-record those tracks for Ô Seasons Ô Castles.