Taking his cue from a wide range of left-of-centre practitioners – from Billy Bragg and Ray Davies to Jonathan Richman and Ian Dury – this Dublin singer-songwriter has come up with a hugely engaging and highly tuneful collection of numbers. As debuts go, this is a hell of an arrival.
Though his voice could hardly be said to be a thing of beauty and his singing style is rough around the edges – that’s part of the charm of Field Recordings. There’s a strong sense of humanity running through songs like ‘Family Circle’ and ‘When You’re Old’. His lyrics are, in the main constructed via observational sketches and rhyming clearly isn’t of major concern – e.g “shaking hand with the unemployed – it’s good to know you’re not alone” (‘Autographs’).
At times the influences veer close to emulation: ‘Victory Milk’ seems heavily influenced by the Bard of Barking but it is a fine song either way. The Smith’s-like ‘Silver Spoon’ has the stamp of Morrissey all over it while the guitar textures on ‘Humans Praising’ evoke the feel and atmosphere of the Rolling Stones’ classic, ‘Waiting On A Friend’.
Largely a full-band affair with stellar backing from a large cast of locally based players, the production is crisp and upfront, and Woodward’s individualistic approach shines through in the end.
One for the radio jocks to pick their Irish quota from.