PHIL HARRINGTON: “Voce” (Holomedia)

IF THE sleeve notes are anything to go by, this wasn’t meant to be a record at all, but an extension of a project on alternative forms of healing.

Its journey to disc is never less than interesting, Phil Harrington’s songs being by turn introspective and impressionistic. A song like ‘Father’ has a direct line, for reasons I won’t specify here, to this heart.

A trawl through the musical credits reveals that among others, one Pete Briquette had quite a hand in things, and the tone of the album is gentle, despite the physical density of its sound.

I’ll watch with interest for further mentions of Phil Harrington’s name, be it in alternative medical journals or the charts. On this showing, either is quite possible.

• Oliver P. Sweeney