Mike Scott is not the first to bring a poets work to music and not the first with some of these poems by WB Yeats. Others may have tried but none have been as successful in their attempt as Scott has been here. Combining his work with the original poems and the excellence of The Waterboys music Scott has produced a piece of work that deserves more plaudits than I can give it. I've seen the list of Mercury prize nominees for 2011 and trust me this is as good if not better, than the best of them.

Firstly to the poetry; some of Yeats poems receive simple editing while others are left almost intact, only subject to the slightest of changes to a few words to match them to what is a wonderful musical canvas. In some places Scott has gone in and wholly reviewed a piece, picking out only that which will work when placed with music. However, this is where Scott's obvious love of this Yeats work shines through as none of the understanding is lost; Yeats thrust and meaning is still there.

The Hosting Of The Shee is not a recitation, but a very close retelling of the poem adding song styled chorus elements. The Song of Wandering Aengus is very close to the original verse, but for a couple of subtle changes. This truly works with the wonderful supporting music and Sarah Allen’s beautiful flute solo. News for the Delphic Oracle highlights The Waterboys underlying folk elements combined with theatrically stylised mood and tempo changes to Yeats mythical wonderings. The Lake Isle of Innisfree becomes a slow blues track backed with wailing blues guitar to ramp up the mood. The dreams of an idyllic life while faced with "the pavements grey" are what the blues are all about.

To highlight Scott’s influence on the poets original work, Sweet Dancer; for example; is one of Yeats shorter poems turned gently into; probably; a better song than it was a poem, or is that just my taking of this work out of its context? Much of Yeats poetry comes with that condition; not every poem was designed to stand on its own subject to the cursory inquisition of the truly unappreciative and uneducated like me.

In other instances, particularly the last two tracks, Let The Earth Bear Witness and The Faery’s Last Song Scott has been much more creative. For instance Mike Scott explained in one interview that for Let The Earth Bear Witness:-

[We were] inspired by the amazing scenes of hundreds of thousands of Iranian people standing up for their rights and freedom. I took the words from two old Yeats poems, in which he was writing about Irish freedom fighters. But his words apply to any freedom fighters, anytime, anywhere in the world.

Some of the interpretations of Yeats poems obviously work better than others. I'm not a fan of the mythical, so come to some of these songs with a doubters' mind. I can say that whilst not becoming a Yeats convert, there are no poor interpretations here. Some are truly wonderful with Yeats words combining with The Waterboys at their very best to produce truly excellent tracks.

Scott has put the effort into studying and appreciating Yeats and it shows through the subtle and loving retelling of some of poets work; and again I find myself using the word subtle in this review. Much of Scott's work here is genuinely subtle in the way has massaged gently some of these poems into songs. I've said that in some cases the songs may be better than the poems on which they are based. To Yeats fans that will be blasphemy I'm sure and I hold my hands up; I am not a Yeats fan; but what Mike Scott has attempted here he has to be truly congratulated. This has obviously been a labour of love these past years and it shows.

It is highlighted at the outset by Mike Scott and The Waterboys that this album is not a Yeats recitation set to music. Scott has endeavoured to turn this selection of Yeats poems into songs by massaging, editing and rewording where necessary to bring these works to life and in some cases they are truly brought to life through the excellent music accompanying Yeats words. The drive and pace of The Hosting of the Shee; for example; makes you feel the hastening warning the poem relates.

The music here is top notch and for me it's The Waterboys 'tour de force'. Genuinely, I could recommend this album just to be listened to, but then isn't that the point? I suppose I’m saying that not everyone wants to grapple with the lyrics whoever crafted them. Let the words waft over you and you are rewarded with an excellent musical experience. The Waterboys regular membership has been extended for this album and the accompanying live shows. Irish singer Katie Kim, fiddle maestro Steve Wickham, multi-instrumentalist Kate St John, flautist Sarah Allen and Catalan trombonist Blaise Margail are credited in this ambitious and thoroughly successful musical undertaking.

It is probably inadvisable to refer again to the Mercury Music Prize but surely this has to be a shoe-in for next year’s nominees. If not, I feel a violence laden visit to London to take a copy of this wonderful album and slap every Mercury judge around the head with it. Mind, there are those that would say that after seeing this year’s list they probably deserve that anyway.

That this album works, is all down to the craft of Mike Scott in bringing William Butler Yeats words to life and through The Waterboys giving them soul. This is a truly rewarding album and this from someone who didn’t believe it would work. After a two week long appointment with Mr Yeats I am happy to eat my words, the best of which, Mr Jimbo Walsh will attest, were "that’ll be interesting". This album is more than interesting; it is The Waterboys seminal work and a triumph for Mike Scott.

Reviewed by D-Jaysea.

The Waterboys' An Appointment with Mr Yeats is available to pre-order now from Amazon for general release on 19 September 2011.