Colm Ó Snodaigh
Giving
Kila Records
Released: 2008
Ah, an album for the perpetually miserable! Not something you'd expect from an Irish musician, eh? Don't get out the Kleenex just yet though, I haven't explained! Colm Ó Snodaigh, a multi-instrumentalist member of Irish folk wizards Kíla, and not so long ago he released "Giving", a solo venture. Did it make me weep?
Of course not. However, it could've done with one or two upbeat numbers, a little variety. Blustery folk and jazz gusts accompany Colm's sweet yet deathly vocals. "So Long" is so relaxed that it's a wonder my stereo bothered to play it.
A number of tracks are sung in Gaelic, Ó Snodaigh's native tongue. More people should learn Gaelic, for Colm is not the first singer to sound better in Gaelic than in English. I still can't figure out what "Uaireannta" means but, seeing as the song sounded so pretty, I'm making a point of trying to learn basic Gaelic!
There's little wrong with "Giving" - it boasts some lovely musical periods - it's just that there's little to hold your interest on the album. Kíla have been on the go for many years playing festivals and large venues. Sadly though, I don't foresee such a future for Ó Snodaigh. It's not that he can't make a perfectly enjoyable folk/jazz album; it's just that he didn't.
There's no questioning Ó Snodaigh's credentials as a musician but this release lacks energy and personality and, as such, is unlikely to turn heads.
Peter McGee
Rating
www.myspace.com/colmsnodaigh
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