Album Review: Jack O’Rourke, Dreamcatcher

Already widely acclaimed thanks to heavy gigging, strong radio play and festival appearances, Cork native Jack O’Rourke has made his mark in other ways (his song ‘Silence’ was adopted by Amnesty during the marriage equality referendum and landed him a Late Late Show slot). As a result, his debut is much anticipated and comes with high expectations.

Citing influences as diverse as Tom Waits, David Byrne, Rufus Wainwright and Emmylou Harris (and you can add Randy Newman to that list), O’Rourke combines a rich, expressive voice with an impressive range and songwriting prowess. The songs are both mellow and melodramatic, boasting ambitious arrangements and lush orchestration.

The plaintive, piano-led opening track ‘Nostalgia’ references his home city with vignettes of life on Grand Parade, Barrack Street and elsewhere. The combination of a yearning melody, keening voice and a lyric of fondly-held memories works extremely well.

‘Naivety’ ups the ante with a busy drum shuffle and full-on arrangement, including strings and choral voices. Similarly theatrical and sweeping in a Bowie-esque manner, the title track is catchy and melodic, though almost drowns in instrumental embellishment, while the aforementioned ‘Silence’ is stripped back and poignant.

Elsewhere, the deliberately distorted lo-fi vocal sound on the whimsical ‘Iggy’ grates a little, ‘On The Downlow’ recalls Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Big Love’, and ‘Corner Boy’ offers more nostalgic reminiscing and a gorgeous melody.

Some judicious editing might have made Dreamcatcher even better, but either way, this is a powerful collection.