Album Review: Last Das Of The Night Owl, ULTAN CONLON

This is the third collection from Galway native Ultan Conlon. His two previous albums earned praise for his passionate songs and expressive voice, and he has already jostled elbows internationally with the likes of Jackson Browne, Eddi Reader, Glen Hansard, Shelby Lynn and John Martyn. ‘As The Light Gets Low’, the lightly loping opener on Last Days Of The Night Owl, sets the parameters, a standard soft-rock backing underpinning Conlon’s winning vocal delivery. There’s an upbeat country feel to the relaxed ‘Sorrow Ease’, with guitars a-steeling and a-twanging, and taking Conlon’s voice into their warm embrace. The piano-led ‘Hall Of Mirrors’ evokes memories of a coastal childhood, but ‘Hurt’ takes an even more introspective approach, with acoustic guitars keeping him company through a lyric of longing and regret. Conlon and his band turn up the heat for ‘Twice A Child’, and they effortlessly stretch out on the measured ‘Ojai’ which is decked out with strings and brass. There’s an appealing rockabilly sensibility at work on the single ‘The Measure’. Overall, Conlon has steadfastly avoided falling into the trap of trying to cover too much ground. He might be faulted for some lack of musical adventure, but my advice is to enjoy him for what he is and not what he might be. OUT NOW

Rating: 7/10