You can hear the influences immediately. That’s the only real criticism of Dubliner Eamonn Mitchell’s debut. It’s a minor criticism though, and for the most part One Good Reason is a confident, rounded and absorbing record full of catchy radio singles and comfortable in its skin as an old school rock album.
So then, Tom Petty is all over ‘One Man Show’; Bob Dylan and The Boss jump in and out of ‘One Good Reason’; The Verve and Oasis lurk in the backgrounds of ‘Breathe’; and Elvis Costello keeps rearing his head.
All this is fine, but Mitchell is so absorbed in his influences that there is at times an American tinge to his vocals. That aside though, One Good Reason rewards repeated listening. Throughout, the record thematically delves into loss, absence, age and the past. ‘Home’, doubtlessly written during Mitchell’s years spent in Scandinavia, aptly distils what the record is about – that sense of feeling lost and trying to suitably find oneself. Particularly, it hints at the rapidly changing face of Ireland to the returning emigrant.
Though quite introspective, One Good Reason is an upbeat record that, like all the best albums, hides its true colours just below the surface. Let’s hope Mitchell gets more of a sense of himself next time round.