I tend to lose patience with the Diva-like antics of many of our supposed artistic heroes and heroines these days. Personally, I feel if you’re lucky enough to have a record company (yes, I believe they still exist in some form or other) footing the bill for studio time in an exotic locale and can fill reasonable-sized halls while you travel the world you might have reason to be grateful. Yet, from Mariah Carey on down that doesn’t seem to be enough for many ‘artistes’.
Just occasionally, though, your heart does go out to a performer who might actually have reasons to be anything other than cheerful. Respected Irish singer/ songwriter KIERAN GOSS certainly seems to be one such individual. Let’s face it, losing both your Mother and sister-in-law to Cancer within months and then suffering a near-fatal third scare with your wife is more than enough to see any sane person off for good, yet such are the circumstances in which Goss wrote the songs for his new album ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’.
As a result, even the most hardened of critics can’t fail to feel at least a few pangs of compassion for Goss, yet – remarkably – ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ works well on its’ own terms and never feels the need to rock the sympathy vote in a situation where many performers would probably be clubbing us over the head with it.
Which isn’t to say ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ isn’t stained with sadness, loss and regret, for it surely is. However, it’s to this unobtrusive Irishman’s credit that the album is also resolutely graceful and dignified, going about its’ business with the minimum of fuss and concentrating primarily on decent tunes performed with care and attention.
Admittedly, it probably helped that Goss could call on some talented shoulders for support. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas, with support from Kimmie Rhodes’ son Gabe (guitar, keyboards) while Ms. Rhodes herself earns several co-writing credits and adds backing vocal support along the way. Goss’s band, meanwhile, is subtle and understated (lots of gentle brushed drums and jazzy, acoustic bass) ensuring a semi-acoustic vibe permeates for the most part, leaving plenty of space for his mellow, but emotion-sodden voice.
Admittedly, you wouldn’t look to Keiran Goss if you want to Rock. This is the very epitome of a singer/ songwriter album with the occasional Country-style moment (notably the poised and gentle ‘Over and Over’), but if you’re looking for anything meaty, well about the closest you’ll get is the supple groove that swings through ‘Smile’, although Goss does proffer an effective line in jaunty two-steps with summer in their heart on tracks like ‘The One That Got Away’ and the playful ‘The Reason Why’.
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Primarily, though, Kieran’s forte is the heartfelt ballad, something which he has clearly perfected during his two decades in the business. Opener ‘One Boy’s Treasure’ is one of his best. Co-written with Kimmie Rhodes and Beth Nielsen Chapman, it’s pleasant and melodious and a memorable little autobiographical rite of passage, with Goss revisiting his adolescence (“guitars wailing and the cymbals crashing/ Brown-eyed girl, no satisfaction”) before settling into the man he is today, accepting a world where “nothing’s ever lost with time.”
Elsewhere, Goss supplies some effective variations on this theme. ‘Into Your Arms’ is a burnished, romantic tale with a nice poetic lyrical line (“I see the moon brush the leaves as it’s falling down/ throw its’ silver coat on the ground for us tonight”) while the deep and chiming ‘No Good Without You’ comes from the other end of the spectrum, examining a relationship in its’ final throes. Perhaps best of all, though, is another Kimmie Rhodes co-write, ‘Line of Innocence’: a memorable, experience-fuelled surrender capable of melting the hardest of hearts.
Although I’m aware of numerous previous releases, I’d always associated Kieran Goss with the more MOR, RTE-sponsored side of Irish roots. ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ doesn’t entirely destroy that perception, but it also makes it clear that Goss is frequently very good at what he does. In his personal situation, many singer/ songwriters would probably have made a harrowing primal scream of a record, but ‘I’ll Be Seeing You”s strength derives from its’ warmth and resignation. It’s one of those quiet triumphs you’ll end up returning to in spite of yourself.
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