Four years is a hell of a long time in the music business, where reputations can be gained and lost in six months. So it is a tribute to Paddy Casey’s talent and the affection in which he is held that his fanbase has remained loyal for so long, waiting for their diminutive hero to get the finger out. And what has he been doing for those four years? Living, apparently.
As he sings on the defiant title track, “You try to say I’m lazy/I just call it living in your town”. Yes, young Mr Casey has been doing a whole lot of living since his debut, Amen, So Be It was released in 1999. But the good news is his Living has resulted in a supposed difficult second album that doesn’t sound very difficult at all.
He’s roped in a full band this time, including Declan O’Rourke on guitars and backing vocals, Shane Fitzsimons on bass and Tim McGrath on drums, with a string section sweeping through two of the tracks. While this reviewer is of the opinion that Paddy never sounds better than when he’s accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar, I must admit that the arrangements, for the most part, don’t hinder the songs and leave Casey’s magical vocals room to breathe and soar, while probably guaranteeing him more radio play into the bargain.
‘The Lucky One’ is a mid-tempo soulful affair, with some gorgeous backing vocals from Sinéad Martin and Rosalie Deighton. ‘Want It Can’t Have It’ is an infectious bloodrush, which, along with the reggae-tinged ‘Promised Land’, is more uptempo than anything Casey has attempted to date. ‘Saints & Sinners’ is a beguiling and compelling tune, currently ensconced in the upper reaches of the chart. ‘Self Serving Society’ is a heartfelt condemnation of modern Ireland, “where computers are a deity and everything’s about the me”.
For this listener, the only tracks that don’t work too well are ‘Don’t Need Anyone’ and ‘Miracle’, which replace the album’s organic feel with programmed rhythms and samples. Both are good songs in their own right, but the quasi-dance arrangements let them down somewhat.
One of Casey’s real strengths, though, is in the quality of his love songs. Living is well served in this capacity, with ‘Bend Down Low’, where he sounds surprisingly like David Gray, and the amazing ‘Anyone Who’s Yet To Come’, a glorious, tender ballad which first surfaced on the Other Voices album and is the best thing he has ever done. All in all, Living is a sparkling return to the fray from the former forgotten man of Irish songwriting. Welcome back, sir. You’ve been missed.