(I admit to some pleasure at seeing my English husband squirm a bit at the line about England’s flag going down.) Trust me, you won’t even miss the instruments, and it’s frankly a pleasure to hear a capella singing as he tells the tale of the Battle of Benburb (1646).

“The Woods of Truagh” is the first of two unaccompanied songs on the album (“Jim Harris,” which closes the album, is the other), and Byrne’s voice is sufficiently captivating that he carries both off beautifully. The spare arrangement that Byrne gives the song here really opens the tune up and gives that voice plenty of space to shine. Next up is a gentle rendition of “River Driver,” a delightful surprise to me, accustomed as I’ve been to Great Big Sea’s slightly more uptempo take on the song. The project opens with a lovely rendition of “Long Years Ago,” a sea tale with plenty of great accordion (and tenor banjo, to which I admit I’m partial) and harmony vocals from fellow Newfoundlander Teresa Ennis. But rest assured, this album, Byrne’s third, is definitely not the phone book. This absolutely beautiful project, a mix of traditional tunes and self-penned songs, has provided the perfect soothing soundtrack for my travels this week.

Now you know who can sing the phone book? We heard it and it was ridiculous how good.

Newfoundland-based band The Once tweeted earlier this week: It must be said at the outset that while Matthew Byrne’s guitar playing is terrific, his voice is a completely captivating instrument. If you are looking for an exquisite album of music, perhaps to provide just the right accompaniment for that last summer drive, look no further than Matthew Byrne’s “Horizon Lines,” out just today.

Becoming by Matthew Ledrew