Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet will perform Sunday, July 27.

A great voice should transcend genre and arrangement. Ríoghnach (pronounced ree-oh-nah) Connolly ’s buttery vocals can rise to this challenge and often do. Born in Northern Ireland, Connolly is now based in Manchester, bridging two cities her family has been commuting between for a generation. Her connection to Ireland and England’s Irish community incubated a serious reverence for traditional music, but Connolly’s career has had many musical movements and her live show comes in a variety of flavours. These include her alt-folk duo The Breath and old fashioned family band Lí Ban.

Connolly’s sweetest, largest and most lively vision is with the band Honeyfeet. It’s replete with horns, keys and guitars, pulling larger inspiration from this side of the Atlantic. With nods to Motown and the greats of midcentury soul as well as Alabama blues and contemporary alternative, Honeyfeet is the icing on the cake to Conolly’s immense vocal presence. Her folk songwriting sensibilities seep through as well, with bold and sharp political messaging around class consciousness, and the station of women.

–Liam Prost