Album Review: Róisín O, Courageous

In 2012, Róisín O's debut album, The Secret Life Of Blue, introduced her as an artist firmly in touch with her family’s folk roots, as well as the more international outlook of the likes of Joni Mitchell. Now, after a decade of moving in an increasingly pop-oriented direction – most notably as one half of Thanks Brother – she’s making her defiant return as a solo artist, with her second album, Courageous.

The project finds her joining forces with some of the biggest stars in the country, featuring co-writes with Gavin James and her brother, The Coronas’ Danny O’Reilly. There’s other major hitmakers behind-the-scenes too, such as Philip Magee, Ruadhri Cushnan and Cian MacSweeney.

But the voice at the heart of the album is the real draw. ‘Heart + Bones’ is the indisputable highlight, a track which is packed with authentic emotion and space for her vocals to soar, while ‘Stolen’ embraces a similar dramatic flair as that of Lyra.

Róisín wears her influences on her sleeve, with an obvious penchant for the power of the pop ballad. Elsewhere, she moves a little closer to the earnest pop-punk that’s been making a resurgence in the international charts.

More experimentation with the groundbreaking innovations currently reshaping the face of pop music would have added to the impact – but there’s no denying the raw emotion and talent that drives Courageous.