It took Aoife O’Donovan a decade to record her debut as a solo artist, the 2013 album Fossils. But it’s not like she was sitting around twiddling her thumbs prior to that. She was busy playing with the high energy bluegrass band Crooked Still, or collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, and other stars of the strings. O’Donovan’s gorgeous follow-up record is called In the Magic Hour, and it fully delivers on that stellar pedigree, tying together elements of pop, folk, and bluegrass in a cohesive, emotive package. Click the player above to hear O'Donovan's return to the Soundcheck studio. 

BONUS: You can also watch an archive of Aoife performing solo in our studio here.