It’s been a long and largely successful journey for Paddy Casey since his 1998 debut Amen (So Be It) hit the shelves, launching him as one of the first of the new breed of homegrown singer-songwriters. He has long since shaken off those early David Gray comparisons to forge a career that has been steady and consistent. Only his fourth album in the decade-and-a-half that has passed since that auspicious debut, not much has changed in the Casey approach.
Never a man to shy away from a memorable melody, a lively rhythm and a hopeful lyric, The Secret Life Of is replete with such fare. That said, the low-key opening ballad ‘There Is Light’ is all sweeping, soaring strings, gently strummed guitar and Leonard Cohen-like vocals. The tempo is raised several notches on The Beatles-esque ‘Rise & Shine’, a tune which is sure to become both a live and radio favourite (and which to these ears recalls the Picture House hit, ‘Heavenly Day’.)
There may not be anything here as anthemic as, say, ‘Saints & Sinners’ but several songs come close, including the effervescent pop of ‘It’s Really Up To You’ and mid-tempo ballad ‘This Ain’t Love’. The instrumental backdrop varies nicely throughout, keeping things interesting, as on the bluesy Americana of ‘Love Harmonica’, which calls to mind Alabama 3, while a jug-band shuffle underpins the jaunty ‘That’s Just The Way It Goes’.
Elsewhere, the plaintive ‘Tell Her’ is more sombre, while a wash of ambient synths and electronic keyboards backdrops the ethereal ‘Lightening’. He concludes the way he began with an unadorned acoustic slow burner ‘Close Your Eyes’ rounding off a strong collection of songs. The Secret Life Of is a very good record.