Big World
Ambitious change of direction for Northern singer-songwriter.
Colm O Hare, 27 Jan 2012
With a half-dozen albums to his name, Derryman Paul Casey has been around for some time now, gigging relentlessly across the world. He has also supported and collaborated with the likes of Chris Rea. A gifted songwriter, terrific guitarist and distinctive vocalist, he’s old-school in that he avoids musical trends and fashions in favour of classic rock and pop structures. That said, he is a tad more adventurous, sonically speaking, on Big World than previously. Piano and keyboard textures play a more prominent role in place of the more singer-songwriter orientated approach he is best known for.
The dramatic title track is certainly aptly-named – a sweeping, atmospheric, slow-burner, it could be the opening theme to a blockbuster movie or a TV drama. Recalling the intensity of Dire Straits’ ‘Private Investigations’ and the breathless rush of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ it’s an epic opener if ever there was one. He continues in this vein on the otherworldly ‘Hope’. Elsewhere he blends Talk Talk textures (‘Different Planet’, ‘Now It’s Done’ ), while the looped piano and frantic polyrhythms on ‘Hindsight’ finds him in Primal Scream-like territory.
More traditional pop ballads such as the lovely ‘You Are’ (which sounds uncannily like ‘80s outfit Deacon Blue) and the more ethereal ‘Blow Away The Clouds’, which features Bronagh Gallagher on harmony vocals, showcase yet another side to his multi-faceted approach.
Intriguing and enjoyable.
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