Graham J may be a powerful singer, but is he really unique as his website bio claims? Does his choice of repertoire really echo the work of truly indefinable characters like Rufus Wainright, Anthony and the Johnsons, Bjork?
The Dublin native has an operatic background, and places his album in the context of an exploration of elements of jazz, blues, classical and alternative contemporary. Not that the material he’s chosen to put his pipes to really seem to reflect all of this. ‘Wild Is…’ may feature a fairly broad range of covers, spanning ‘Summertime’, ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘Into My Arms’, but their execution is rather samey. Similarly, his rendition of ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Schön’ may be more musical than the one that graced The Sisters of Mercy’s set in the late 90s, but its theatricality is campy in the extreme.
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It’s all about the voice, of course, and while some will no doubt praise his ability to convey deep emotion, his tenor contraltino tone simply sits uncomfortably, particularly when covering Nick Cave and David Bowie. I’m also deducting a star for the corny photos which grace the album.
Graham J Online
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