- Music
- 26 Feb 09
Irish Songsmith keeps good company
Kieran Goss’s new album boasts the kind of attractive packaging you don’t get with downloads. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a collection of collaborative compositions written with such stalwarts as Brendan Murphy, Kimmie Rhodes and Beth Neilsen Chapman.
‘One Boy’s Treasure’ evokes the downhome country charm of Don Williams; ‘The Reason Why’ is a jaunty feelgood song to keep toes and ears equally happy. That jauntiness is repeated on the charming ‘The One That Got Away’ whilst ‘Into Your Arms’ is a wistful piano-lead love song, with Goss’ voice at its most delicately expressive. ‘Line Of Innocence’ is a real country-folk gem, with Goss’ neat finger-picking underpinning a winning melody and a touching lyric. For its part, the title track offers spine-tingling harmonies from Ann Kinsella and Rhodes.
Sometimes you wish Goss might try to work up a sweat and shift up a gear or two. But he has a natural way with a melody and the enviable knack of crafting songs that never outstay their welcome and sound like they’ve been around forever.
Key Track: 'Line of Innocence'