aaamusic | On 10, Oct 2013

Julie Feeney is a talented award-winning Irish artist. Composer, singer, song-writer, orchestrator, comedian, producer… She has a strong curriculum vitae offering a solid base for her third album Clocks, mixed by David Reitzas (who has produced Madonna, Guns N’ Roses and Prince).

It also became No. 1 in the Independent Irish Album Charts, No. 7 in the main Irish charts on its Irish release in late 2012, and Julie has won the praises of chief pop music critic Jon Pareles in The New York Times.

Digitally recorded at Kylemore Abbey Gothic Church, county Galway, the album is airy and fairy, but also somehow tonic and very personal. The singer’s nice mezzo voice, if not loud and exuberant, is nevertheless always perfectly right and neat.

From the first notes of her first song, ‘Dear John’, you are taken away to a dreamy Irish landscape by the river under a full moon. It is indeed a merry and romantic song, both in lyrics and orchestration – with a harpsichord and violins in the background.

It continues on a calm second track, ‘Cold Water’, opening on a binary rhythm which alternates at the chorus with a ternary one, giving a nice movement to the piece. The harp in the background, giving a romantic touch again, is rightly balanced with the presence of a bass guitar. On this one, the Galway-born singer is charmingly pronouncing “pull you through” with a “t” instead of the “th” sound, as any self-respecting western Irish does.

‘If I Lose You Tonight’, number six, will be the album’s favourite song for those Irish music lovers out there. It is a love song strongly traditionally-influenced, on a background of calm fiddle and banjo, and a spectrum of notes echoing all traditional Irish songs. On this one, you can easily picture the pretty windswept green fields of the emerald island.

The seventh track, ‘Moment Out Of The Blue ‘, is a calm anti-war song. On this one Julie uses more her speaking voice, quite emotionally loaded. It can remind one of the way of singing – and even of the voice tone – of Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor.

Like the previous one, the eighth song ‘Happy Ever After’ is more contemporary, with a clearer use of sound effects like artificial brass instruments and organ, and whistling. It is telling the tale of a girl who has got proposed by the king, but who prefers to stay alone in her own wonderland: within her only is her happiness.

Julie Feeney’s Clocks album is an overall very peaceful, subtle pop work presenting a series of elaborate melodies. It is both unpretentious and imaginative, and that’s what makes its originality, charm and quality.

★★★★★

Marguerite Gallorini