The winner of RTÉ Television’s The Voice Of Ireland (where he was mentored by Bressie and Danny O’Reilly of The Coronas), 23-year-old Pat Byrne from Co. Carlow has been dubbed “the Borris Bruce”. Or at least he has locally, following his winning performance of The Boss’s ballad ‘The River’ on the TV showdown.
His debut, as you might expect, is squarely aimed at a mainstream audience. Byrne has a strong, passionate and at times soulful voice – in many ways he’s more akin to Joe Cocker or Andrew Strong than Bruce. For the most part the songs here sound familiar, held together by solid if conventional studio session-playing. Tunes like the opening title-track ‘All Or Nothing (not the Small Faces tune of the same name) and ‘End Of The World’ are pleasant mid-tempo confections reminiscent of Bryan Adams or John Mellencamp. ‘Dear Romeo’ is stronger, boasting a memorable melody and a chorus that positively soars. Meanwhile, the storytelling ‘Black Suit Holidays’ comes across as more of a country song, though one that’s effectively executed.
Elsewhere, ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ blends a bit of U2’s ‘With Or Without You’ with elements of The Killers and Snow Patrol, while ‘I Said It So I Feel It’ showcases Byrne’s vocals at their strongest. The final track ‘Help Me Make It’, ironically the most Springsteen-esque, is far and away the best song here. With just harmonica, acoustic guitar and voice, Pat sings convincingly of ‘“ate night bars, big ole cars and… fallen angels.” It points the way forward for Byrne, who clearly has plenty to offer.