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Damien Rice - Live from the Union Chapel - WEA/Reprise
One of the most acclaimed new Irish singer-songwriters, Rice knows how to mix the lyrics of an Irish poet with emotional vocals, and works his voice as others might work a guitar or violin. Recorded in 2003 at a London show, this set began its life as a promo-only disc, and is now being revived as a live CD that Rice fans will certainly appreciate. These are striking songs, with the arrangements centered around acoustic guitar and strings; great (and different) versions of both “Volcano” and “The Blower’s Daughter” - perhaps two of Rice’s best known songs - highlight the first with a new guitar groove, and the second with an extremely pretty fade-out involving Rice and his backup singer in a well-balanced harmony. The only complaint? At eight songs, it’s simply too short.



Fionn Regan - The End of History - Lost Highway
Dublin singer Regan’s work has already drawn numerous comparisons to the likes of Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, and his songs do indeed have that fragile feel. It’s mostly guitar backing up Regan here; a bit of percussion interplays with some piano and strings, but for the most part it’s his delicate picking that supports his vocal. With all of the subtlety, you might expect a somber mood; but while many of the songs are quiet in nature, Regan seems to have a more optimistic approach than what his instruments might indicate. The “heaviest” songs might be “Snowy Atlas Mountains” and “Hunter’s Map” - but for every pensive number, there’s something more light-hearted, like the pretty, tip-toeing “Abacus” and the Lindsey-Buckingham reminiscent “Be Good or Be Gone.”


Ash - Twilight of the Innocents - Warner
Hailing from Northern Ireland, Ash have yet to substantially crack the stateside market, and it really is a mystery why when their punky-pop sound and quirky, introspective lyrics are as good as any other Irish rock imports you might get a chance to hear on the radio. Recorded in New York and co-produced by the band themselves, along with Michael Brauer (Rolling Stones/Bob Dylan), two of the songs alone are worth the purchase of the entire album - namely the epic title track and the piano-graced “Polaris” - but luckily, you’ll get a lot more than even that, including the bass-focused “Blacklisted,” the supercatchy “You Can’t Have It All,” the pretty pair of “End of the World” and “Dark and Stormy,” and the more experimental “Shattered Glass” with its slow-burning melody.


Declan O’Rourke - Big Bad Beautiful World - RMG
When someone like Paul Weller says they wish they’d written one of your songs (as Weller mentioned about O’Rourke’s “Galileo” in a recent magazine interview), you know you’ve got something good going on. This may be O’Rourke’s dreaded sophomore set - the bane of many a musician - but he handles the pressure beautifully, with songs that both move his songwriting forward and remind listeners of why they first liked him. It’s a more moody album than his previous, layered with orchestral arrangements as much as it’s carried by his usual acoustic guitar, and it works well; songs like “Save Your Soul,” “Make Something,” “Man of Peace,” “One Day in a War,” and an appealing cover of “Twinkle Twinkle” will have fans already lining up for his third set, whenever that may be. View On Our Website