Tommy Reilly - 'Jackets'
We live in an age where we are so starved of interesting, distinctive male voices that the merest hint of regional accent is enough to qualify as an arresting and amazing new sound. This is no idle claim, or deliberate provocation, there are simply too many singers whispering, squeaking and groaning when they should be singing - singing from the gut, singing from the heart, anywhere but the nose and the back of the throat - and I for one have had enough.
Look at the girls, fellas! All sorts of different vocal sounds coming out of them, lots of emoting going on, AND they dress up and make the effort to look nice and stuff. Dishevelled chic is all very well if you've got the cheekbones to back it up, but I want a decent sound to come out of your mouth too, and I'm not going to be too picky about the source.
(. This is no time to lie down, people...)
So, when Tommy Reilly - a winner of a TV talent competition and therefore rocksnob target No.1 - does his trademark bleating, wailing thing, complete with Dunbartonshire vowels, he's already 80% of the way towards getting my automatic support. All he needs is a sympathetic producer who won't swamp the fragile beauty with a beefy, bland backing.
Dammit! And we were so close there! The trouble with the production on this song is it's a LOT more muscular than either Tommy's voice or the song itself. Oh sure, Tom's giving it his all, that's what he does, and the song is a nice folksy skippy thing, but his voice suddenly sounds weedy and reedy and lost. And this from the fella who can blow people away with just a guitar/keyboard and a microphone.
The band are rockin' up a storm, the glockenspeil player tinkles merrily, and poor wee Tommy's left squeaking his blues from the top of a massive chocolate sundae, when all he really needed was a decent sandwich and a cup of tea.
Hopefully they've let him have some room on the rest of the album, or I'll have to go back to getting my 'phlegmy oik' thrills from Jamie T.
Download: Out now
CD Released: June 22nd
91Èȱ¬ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
"Tommy Reilly is the best male singer because he made the Devil (and Alex James) cry."
Comment number 1.
At 16th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Wow... the most deliberately provocative review yet !
lol
Those first two paragraphs again.....
Ha ha... I refuse to bite !
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:But you know that today during the meetings I am in... I will sub - consciously be compiling a list of male singers with distinctive voices , to come back at you with !
Darnit !
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Comment number 3.
At 17th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Ha , the lists are ready......
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Comment number 4.
At 19th Jun 2009, thranjax wrote:Hello,
Yes, the voice is a bit reedy. It isn't that offensive though although quite weak musically and reminiscent of other things..
Like the "Stickey (sic) Wall" it is shot in though. Is that just a wall made of sticks or one covered in glue?
Is a motorbike about to flatten them all on its way round the wall of death?
Thranjax
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Comment number 5.
At 20th Jun 2009, spirit wrote:Totally agree Jax , he may have won that Channel 4 show , but this song and performance is weak.
This song will not set the charts alight !
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