- Music
- 08 Apr 01
When an unknown artist is compared to the likes of Tim Buckley or Nick Drake, you either have to laugh or listen.
When an unknown artist is compared to the likes of Tim Buckley or Nick Drake, you either have to laugh or listen. In the case of John Hegarty, I chose to listen, and while the spin doctors may have been a little too effusive, there's no doubt that he's got something. When someone of the calibre of Bob Lamb – he worked with both UB40 and The Lilac Time – takes on production duties, one has to take serious notice.
There's a literary quality to the lyrics, all of which began life as drafts of short stories, and the musical backdrop – lush strings, woodwind, and uilleann pipes – lends an expansive air to proceedings, ‘Fallen’ being a very good example of how good songs are enhanced by proper construction. In contrast, the instrumental ‘Eventide’ is driven by guitars, flutes and percussion overlain with a pastoral feel.
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With Twilight John Hegarty has created an album which suggests that not only can he write well – that's not in doubt – but that there's even more engaging stuff to come. For now though, this will do fine.