This self-titled CD is SIOBHAN O'BRIEN'S third and second full-length outing. Siobhan is a singer songwriter from Limerick and while she's the niece of legendary showband leader Brendan Bowyer, she's an accomplished performer in her own right.
The songs on this album vary from folk rock, through to blues and folk and Americana. Surprisingly there is very little Celtic influence on this album, which shines throughout due to the strength and depth of Siobhan’s vocal. She has an excellent vocal range, and the vast majority of the songs have well thought out arrangements and lyrics.
The starter is ‘Leaving Me’, a bluesy rock number featuring some lovely harmonica, courtesy of Siobhan herself. The subject matter, detailing a relationship break up turns the standard scenario upon its head. Here she doesn’t want the bloke back, she is more than happy to be shot of him: “Best thing you ever did for me was leaving, was leaving me/ The only thing that I love you for is walking out that door.” Splendid sentiments from a person who (in this song) has clearly had enough: - “You always wanted to be the tragedy, turning everything into travesty/ All I ever wanted was honesty.”
Following this is the slightly dreamy folk of ‘My Man’ featuring some harmonica that is very Dylanesque. Whilst the lyrics are slightly simplistic, the way in which they are delivered conveys a depth and sincerity: - “My man, he’s a shepherd man. My man, he’s a fisher man/ My man, he’s a river man. I want to be with my man.”
‘Guilty Of Despair’ seems to tackle the problem of loss, possibly losing faith in both religion and the world around us. A darker almost anthemic track, featuring some excellent keyboard work from Eamonn Hehir, this is one that grows on you.
‘Indians’, the seventh track on the album is a stomp along blues number, with Siobhan’s voice crystal clear: - “I was dreaming of Indians riding bareback, living in a tepee away from reality/
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I was dreaming of my man, where the buffalo roam/ He said, “Live every day like it is your last”.”
‘Orphan Song (for Ruth)’ is a slow acoustic guitar and banjo based folk song. The subject matter is very bleak at times: -
“Now that you’re an orphan, would you like an orphan’s song?/Now that you’re on your own again, would you like something strong?” whilst the song tries to look at being positive in the face of adversity, Siobhan at her most dark sings: - “They just keep on dying don’t they?” Certainly not the sort of track to listen to if you’ve had a bad day at the office and need cheering up!
The closing track on the album, ‘The Dreamer’ lets you go floating away with some excellent harmonies in this acoustic folk song. A perfect ending to a good listen wherein Siobhan urges “Lay your body down, let the dreamer have his way/ The dreamer has his way, anyway.”
What I liked about this album was the fact that although being folk based, it clearly rises above generic pigeonholing. Whilst there was the odd track, which I thought fell a bit short of the mark, the majority of the album is clearly on target, and well worth a listen or two.
Siobhan O'Brien website
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