The single ‘Jigsaw’ catapulted Ryan Sheridan from busking on the streets of Dublin to the singles charts. Now Sheridan has given us a debut album that expands superbly on the qualities revealed in that hit. Sheridan has a handsome voice but one of the main side attractions of his live shows is the energetic drumming of his unconventional ‘look, no sticks’ percussionist Arthur Graczyk. Graczyk’s rattling, rhythmic thrust is in evidence again in the high-energy ‘The Dreamer’ and ‘The Game’. And there’s charm of a different variety to be found in the more subdued ‘Endless Road’, which proves Sheridan ain’t no one-trick pony. ‘Stand Up Tall’ has a captivating stop-start rhythm, and ‘High Roller’ has an almost synth pop feel under its glorious vocals. ‘Machine’ has delicious vocal harmonies too.
Producer Joe Chester has magically captured the raw energy of the duo’s live output and sprinkled over it a studio sheen that enhances the quality of their work, rather than obscuring it. This is an impressive debut that should set Sheridan up for a rewarding summer.