It’s a credit to O’Rourke that his songs can come alive in the hallowed surroundings of the National Concert Hall. His style encompasses that of both storyteller and troubadour, and all his best numbers are insantly catchy. There’s more than a touch of Jackson Browne in the tunesome ‘A Little Something’ and the sweeping panorama of ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’, but O’Rourke has the versatility to go from the tortured soul of the majestic ‘No Place To Hide’ to the after-hours intimacy of ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’ via the breezy froth of ‘1 Way Minds’. ‘Birds Of A Feather’ retains its wistfulness, and the setting here gives ‘Galileo’ even more emotional depth, but ‘No Brakes’ seems uncomfortable and never quite settles. There’s an irresistible warmth to ‘Sarah’, but the closing ‘Love Is the Way’ is an anti-climax, because in spite of cajoling the audience doesn’t quite climb aboard.
O’Rourke’s Big Bad Beautiful World album didn’t match Since Kyabram in its intensity or originality, and he’s going to have to go some to eclipse ‘Galileo’. But this live album buys him a little time for another shot. We’ll be waiting, watching and cheering him on.