Patrick James

Eleanor McEvoy is back to her absolute song-writing best with her stunning new album. Her eigth album “I’d Rather Go Blonde” which is set for release 20th September is soulful and honest reflecting Eleanor’s perfect culmination of twenty years of beautiful songwriting. One listen to this album shows why Eleanor McEvoy has become one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer/songwriters.

With songwriters of Eleanor’s calibre, especially when the artist has written so much great music, I am always apprehensive of hearing their next offering… will it be as good as the last?  And so far Eleanor McEvoy’s music has never disappointed – and this forthcoming album is no exception, rather the opposite. This is Eleanor at her best, with a freshness that makes the bold statement that the past is exactly that, the past –  Eleanor McEvoy has found a new level in her songwriting. Eleanor continues to write in an uncompromising fashion about topics such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance… but  never compromises the “feel good” undertones and humorous outlook. The album moves through a series of sounds that will have listeners singing along.

Recorded at Westland Studios, the team of Eleanor McEvoy, Mick O’Gorman, Peter Beckett (co-producers of LOVE MUST BE TOUGH) and Ciaran Byrne (engineer), has expanded with the addition of Gavin Fox (ex Idlewild), Ross Turner (Cathy Davey, Jape) and the Mixing skills of Ruadhri Cushnan (Mumford and Son) - this is the sort of album that will inspire other musicians, as it works on so many levels. This is a stunning album.

The album will be released in the UK and Ireland on Sept. 20, 2010  It is available for pre-order on Amazon UK.

For Gaida, morning in Damascus meant melodies: waking to the sound of her father’s radio while he shaved, the predawn intertwining calls to prayer bursting from mosques across the world’s longest-inhabited city. Strains of Umm Kulthum and Fairouz rose from radios and stores as horses clopped and cars purred by. The age-old harmonized with the modern.

These sounds shaped the gorgeous and thoughtful Syrian singer’s impeccable musical intuition and velvety yet crystalline voice, now channeled into the stunning live performances and bluesy originals of Levantine Indulgence, a set of songs as rich and subtle as the Fertile Crescent oasis of ancient Levant. With her voice as a common denominator, Gaida has found the soulful sweet spot where complex Levantine rhythms synch up with breezy hints of bossa nova, pounding belly dance beats, and that certain swing found only in jazz.

Continue reading “Guest Blog: Translating Ecstasy from Syria to the Blues: Gaida’s Secret Passion is Revealed” »

To mark today’s release of the Fabulous NEW Single “CRAWL UP” from MUGGER DAVE this week’s featured video is Freak.

Mugger Dave (previousily reviewed here) have been rightly hailed as ‘One of Ireland’s most promising Act’s!’ by The Irish Times, and given their ability to write and record ‘Custom Made songs for Radio’ (HOTPRESS), we can expect to hear a lot more from this Galwegian trio upon the release of their new single ‘CRAWL UP’ on Oct 30th 2009.

With a highly popular reputation that contiunes to grow, Mugger Dave have performed live on TG4′s Sile show, and where included on the IMRO 2008 Showcase tour. Their song, ‘My Life In Circles’, was featured on the IMRO Showcase CD and distributed nationally with the Daily Star newspaper. The band are currently preparing for the release of their debut album, “What’s She Doing Here?” Their last single ‘Got A Lot On My Mind’ received airtime on Phantom FM, RTE2XM, Beat FM, WLRFM, LIVE95 and many more. It was also awarded “Single of the Week” on Radio Na Life.

IT’s available now but Why Not ENJOY A Sample Listen to CRAWL! Then enjoy the video

01 CRAWL UP – New single by MUGGER DAVE by GoodSeedPR

Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/muggerdave

Upcoming Shows ( view all )
12 Dec 2009 20:00
The Cellar bar in Derry Derry, Northern Ireland
4 Feb 2010 20:00
All Ireland Battle of The Bands- Lough Erne Hotel in Kesh, Co Fermanagh. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
23 Feb 2010 20:00
SU Sessions NUI Galway Galway, Galway

Clive Barnes The Ghost Country is one of those very rare of Albums that come along every once in a blue moon and are simply instantaneously addictive… With the release date set for September 11th, this forth album from the Wexford songwriter, has all the elements that make an album stand out and distinguish a musician from from their contemporaries in ways most other songwriters only strugle towards.

I was lucky enough to get a preview of this album but after hearing The Ghost Country was reluctant to review it – For one reason only, the album is that darn good… there had to be a snag, but no… I have listened and re-listened to this album non-stop and it only gets better per-play! And to be fair and tell the truth, September 11th I will be buying a couple of copies for one or two of my close friends who have heard a track or two already on the car stereo and are eagerly awaiting.

On guitar and vocals Clive Barnes does the business in stunning fashion and in a way that marks him as one of Ireland’s great performers. No wonder really when you think how he’s finely honed his skills and roots reputation by touring the US and Europe with names likes of Eric Bibb, Taj Mahal, Jeff Beck, Alison Krauss, Seasick Steve, The Blind Boys of Alabama and many more.

While your waiting for the release why not check out Clive Barne’s myspace player: http://www.myspace.com/clivebarnesmusic

Nell Bryden has had a great week – Nell who I interviewed recently has JUST SIGNED a publishing deal with RESPECT MUSIC in the UK. I couldn’t be happier for her firstly because she is very grass-roots as a person but also because she is such a truly  gifted musician.  And if that’s not enough good news for this fabulous performer, this week has also seen her album “WHAT DOES IT TAKE” receive recognition as the BBC Radio 2 ‘ALBUM of the WEEK!’. If for some insane reason you haven’t checked this album out already, ‘WHAT DOES IT TAKE’ is out now in HMV and on iTunes.

Nell’s love of song writing is apparent with evocative lyrics on songs such as Green Dress and Tonight. The album, with its rich layers of blues, country, modern-Dixie and jazz is guaranteed to leave a lasting memory on anyone who hears it. It is already, for my mind, the Must Have album of the year. READ ALBUM REVIEW

NELL BRYDEN www.myspace.com/nellbryden

NELL BRYDEN’s BLOG

AS SEEN ON RTE TV THE LATE LATE SHOW
AS SEEN ON BBC TV BREAKFAST SHOW
IRISH TOP 40 CHARTED SINGLE- Second Time Around-
CURRENTLY ON THE BBC2 A LIST IN THE UK.
TOURED  & SUPPORTED: KT TUNSTALL, THE COUNTING CROWS
DUKE SPECIAL, DECLAN O ROURKE, STEREOPHONICS + MORE

Sept 23rd sees the eagerly awaited release of ELDER ROCHE’s new album NOBODY KNOWS. Back in June I was able to bring you a review of this superlative new album following a sneaky pre-listen READ REVIEW. The announcement of this release date is great news for true music lovers – NOBODY KNOWS is simply a pleasure to listen to with its perfectly ecclectic blend of influences. Making no bones about it, Elder’s sound is his own, bringing together very subtle but unmistakable hints of Nick Cave, an early David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Neil Young and Bob Dylan but to name a few.  Following the highly popular  single Diamond which lead to sold out shows in Dublin and with Radio stations nationwide (BEAT FM, WLRFM  , KFM  , KCLRFM  , CLARE   FM, WIRED FM, RTE, FEILE   FM, MIDLANDS RADIO + more) adding ELDER to their programme play lists it’s no wonder people have the following things to say:

Previous quotes:

HOTPRESS- “Ireland has a new singer songwriter to be reckoned with!”,
MIXTAPE – “Elder Roche   has shown massive potential with his debut album ‘Nobody Knows’. You can’t but hear Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen influences, but this is a fine true folk troubadour”.
The News of The World “Manly vocals and powerful storytelling songs bring to mind the genius of Leonard Cohen and Neil Diamond.”
RTE 2FM “There is something spiritual about ELDER’s songs”
PHANTOM FM – “truly talented and stunning”.

Sample Elder on Streaming music at: www.elderroche.com

I think every summer there are one or two songs that become iconic and symbollic of that particular year and just possibly one of the songs could very well be “Got A Lot On My Mind”  by Mugger Dave – The single from the Galwegian trio is splendid.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the single and uploaded it onto the iPhone – I got into the car this morning for the drive to work and plugged into the car’s sound system and hit play… It wasn’t long till the song had a hold and I was hitting repeat!

The energy of this band is the first thing that hits you, with superlative lyrics, vocals and a hard hitting base-line and a powerful drumbeat which reflects the band’s ability to remain true to their intention from the start, to play pop songs as loud and as forcibly as possible. Pop/Rock trio ‘Mugger Dave’ comprise of Simon Noble (Lead Vocals / Guitar), Seán Herriott (Bass / Backing Vocals) & Níall Curran (Drums). Mugger Dave are currently currently preparing for the release of their debut album, “What’s She Doing Here?” They currently embarking on a nationwide tour playing such venues as The Roisin Dubh in Galway, and Cyprus Avenue in Cork and other venues Nationwide (Listed Below).

‘Listen hard and listen well’- is their request to you.

‘Mugger Dave have Immediately distinctive, powerfully tight and forceful music- Custom Made for Radio, expect to hear a lot more from Mugger Dave’- HOTPRESS

Mugger Dave – Mugger Dave – The Women music video on MUZU.

Upcoming Gigs:

25th June- Róisín Dubh, Galway,

4 July Bar Ritz Castlebar, Mayo,

11 Jul The Stables in Mullingar, Westmeath.

15 Jul The Cellar Galway Galway,

15 Aug ’The Cellar Bar’, Derry, Northern Ireland

You can pick up the single “Got a Lot On My Mind” on download for €0.99 by texting:

Txt ‘music 3023′ to 57501 | PC download
Txt ‘music 3023 m’ to 57501 | Mobile download

Band management: John Crowley (Manager) 0857701743
Band email: muggerdave {at} gmail(.)com
Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/muggerdave

Elder Roche’s new single Diamond is on release now and is a track that is exactly that – beautifully written, with an  insightful vibrance, this song contains catchy progressions, diverse tonal elements and gritty vocals. Taken from the forthcoming album Nobody Knows the new single has lead to a hugh amount of interest in Elder which in turn has meant sell out shows in Dublin, to be followed by a Nationwide tour – Gig dates anyone who loves music, needs to have on their calendar.

Nobody  Knows is simply a pleasure to listen to with its perfectly ecclectic blend of influences. Making no bones about it, Elder’s sound is his own, bringing together very subtle but unmistakable hints of Nick Cave, an early David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Neil Young and Bob Dylan but to name a few. With comparisons like that it is all to obvious that Elder has been an attentive listener and student of the great music icons and in away that few artists ever manage, the debut album Nobody Knows manages to bring those elements together flawlessly to demonstrate the talent of this new songwriter. Having experimented with music from a very early age, this Dublin based musical storyteller has shared the stage with several well known Irish performers – Paddy Casey, Damien Rice, Juno Falls, Juliet Turner and Damien Dempsey.

Hotpress have rightly given Diamond their seal of approval stating : Ireland has a new singer songwriter to be reckoned with!  The album Nobody Knows goes on sale a little later this year and will without a doubt ensure that this is to be the-year-of-the-Elder!

Sample Elder on Streaming music at: www.elderroche.com

Check out some of these tour dates: