| PADDY CASEY |
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BALCONYTV.COM 29/02/2008
PRESENTED BY TOM MILLETT
Irish singer/songwriter Paddy Casey's years
as a busker on the streets of Galway and his
home town of Dublin served him well. Not only
did it allow him to associate from an early
age with future breakout artists like Glen
Hansard (of the Frames), Mundy, and Mark
Dignam, but he developed a keen instinct for
the type of melody and songwriting that are
immediate and arresting, but with a natural
intimacy not often heard in conventional pop
music. Though an admitted pure soul devotee,
Casey performs music that is heavily informed
by its medium -- the singer and his acoustic
guitar -- coming across as if Bob Dylan had
taken to imitating Nina Simone, with elements
of Prince and Public Enemy thrown in for good
measure.
Casey began busking on Dublin's streets in
the early '90s while still in his early
teens. In 1998, the earnest street musician
became a cog in the major-label machine,
signing to Sony subsidiary S2 Records at the
behest of Spencer Davis Group bassist turned
A&R man Muff Winwood, who had spotted Casey
performing in Dublin and quickly became
enamored. Heading into the studio later that
year just to transfer some basic ideas to
tape, Casey inadvertently wound up recording
his debut album, Amen (So Be It). Released in
June of 1999, the album debuted in the Top
Twenty of the Irish albums chart, eventually
going triple platinum, and was awarded the
Best Debut Album award at the Hot Press Irish
Music Awards. Perhaps an overly
self-conscious statement of the artist's
diverse palette, the album was nonetheless
accomplished, with a range of styles
integrated into his folky soul core, from
jazz to funk to reggae, and with hip-hop
beats and scratches subtly incorporated;
however, Amen (So Be It)'s most endearing
moments were its simplest, and Casey soon
became well known for his Dylan-esque protest
song "Sweet Suburban Sky," which was featured
prominently on U.S. television show Dawson's
Creek.
Though the album was released in the U.S. in
June of 2000, over three years passed before
a follow-up was issued, an explanation for
his absence alluded to in its title. Living
was issued in Ireland in October of 2003 and
in the U.K. in March of 2004, following the
unprecedented success in Ireland of lead
single "Saints and Sinners," eventually going
12 times platinum. The same year, Casey
recorded two tracks for charity album Even
Better Than the Real Thing, Vol. 2: a new
arrangement of "Saints and Sinners" featuring
the Dublin Gospel Choir, and an acoustic
rendering of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" (a
longtime live favorite).Living was reissued
in Ireland in November of 2004 as a
double-disc set including B-sides and
rarities. The staggered release of the album
led Casey to be honored with the Best Irish
Male award at both the 2004 and 2005 Meteor
Irish Music Awards. During the first half of
2007, Casey recorded his third studio album,
Addicted to Company, Pt. 1, featuring a guest
appearance by former bandmate and solo artist
Declan O'Rourke. It was released in Ireland
and the U.K. the following September, with
the title track simultaneously released as a
single. ~ Dave Donnelly, All Music Guide
http://www.paddycasey.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thepaddyspacey
Tune in again tomorrow!!!
Tags : paddy casey balconytv balcony tv dublin ireland |
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Affichage : 6667
Durée : 328 s |
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