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Paddy Casey's 'Amen (So Be It)' - Simply Awesome

Mark | East Coast | 04/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amen (So Be It)



I pretty much spend most of my personal budget on music and technology stuff, so you will forgive me if this album was lost under a large pile of CDs for a few years. Getting to listen to the newest Paddy Casey album Addicted to Company joggled my memory. Now these two albums have been constantly rotating in my playlist over the past weekend.



Listening to it now makes me even more astounded at how good a debut he crafted here. This reminds me a lot of how I felt about the early Alana Davis stuff. So raw and powerful. This album has a little more electronic edge to a few tracks than the new album does, but they both share the same solid ballads. Hopefully the new album will open up more eyes to what Paddy Casey is all about.



Dusting off this album made me realize how much he has in common musically with so many artists today, from Jack Johnson to Ryan Adams. I wonder how much of those similarities are due to indirect or direct influence. Either way, it's clear that this guy really has something special.





If there is any criticism that can be made about this album is that the minimalist lyrics won't appeal to everyone. I actually like the simple direct lyrics and think they go well with this genre of music, but no doubt the songwriting has improved on the newer album.



Casey's vocals are always strong and powerful even when he's singing effortlessly. The newer album has less of the experimental feel to it than this one. They are both awesome but this is still in first place for me. If you like this make sure to check out his newest album "Addicted to Company."



Enjoy.

"

As Good As White Ladder!

Ian Creamer | Dublin,Ireland | 07/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album came out way back in '99 and at that time it became a firm favourite of mine. In fact it did very well in Ireland but since then there has been no follow up c.d. from Paddy Casey. Like many c.d.'s I have, it sort of gets pushed down the pile as new c.d.'s become the flavour of the month. Then I heard it again from start to finish in a bar and it's renewed my love of the c.d. It only struck me once I'd read other reviews on this site how similar it is to David Gray. When this c.d. came out, Ireland was probably the only country where David Gray was popular-so it's no surprise then that this c.d. did well. If I was to review this c.d. in only one sentence I'd have to say that if you liked White Ladder then this c.d. is for you. But I much prefer to ramble on instead. Musically it's a mish-mash of angst ridden white blues meets some acoustic leanings. The music has an almost spiritual, atmospheric feel to it. Tracks like Winter's Fire seem to capture the dark wet nights that are so common here in Ireland. The unusual tinkling of an off key piano capturing the sound of the rainfall, the gentle strumming of the guitar and some beautiful lyrics seem to capture a mood so perfectly-in fact I've never heard this sort of mood captured so accurately. Like many of the tracks the multi-layered harmonies and distorted vocal backgrounds are very melodic yet quite haunting at the same time.An even better example of this vocal style is track 4 which is very different in that it uses a really industrial sounding background, scratches and unusual beats yet it still maintains that soulful sound.The only other artists I can compare this sort of mood to would be the music of Icelandic group Sigur Ros. Many other tracks like "Can't Take That Away", and the sublime yet louder "Everybody Wants" have a similar vibe. The latter track drifts from minimalist arrangements of the verse to a big sounding full on chorus which you'll be singing along to with ghusto. Casey's voice is soothing when it needs to be-yet he can deliver lines with amazing power especially on the last track "It's Over Now". This track has an almost anthem feel to it. Plenty of the songs harness the full power of the band, none more so then track 2 "Whatever Gets You True", which was a pretty big single over here. "Sweet Suburban Sky" is so like Gray it's almost unreal. If he produces a song as good as this on his next album we'll all be hailing another masterpiece. Gray was totally deserving of his break through-just in the same way that I feel Casey's album deserves more exposure and international recognition."

Solid start for an Irish lad.

spanishjohnny | Sydney, Australia. | 08/14/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Very strong debut from Irish singer songwriter who evokes comparison to fellow U.K troubadour, David Gray. Similarly under heavy Dylan influence, Casey doesn't yet have Gray's sense of melody as a songwriter however there's some fine stuff here none the less. The single "Whatever gets you True" is a frantic rocker whilst the playful restraint of "Downtown" and the heartfelt "Its over now" show that Casey is indeed capable of some exceptional work. His voice is unique and well rounded and it gives many the more sparse tracks (most notably "Everybody Wants") a clarity and resonance as opposed to the modern Brit tendency to be shaky and unsure. The main problem with "Amen" however is that for every solid song there is a relatively mundane and tired counterpart. On the whole there is a bit too much sameness to the album which would have benefited from more adventurous production. Many of the songs are allowed to just plod along and moments of climax often seem left dormant when they should be emphasised especially considering Casey's aforementioned captivating voice. That said, "Amen" is an album well worth a look and Casey is a talented artist who will undoubtedly produce some fine material in the future."