First Cuts - Scott Maher, Pearse McGloughlin, Liam Kirkpatrick, Ciara McArdle

Scott Maher has been round the houses a bit, handling duties with many artists, from Sugababes and Liam O Maonlai to Sir George Martin. But he’s now on a solo recording run and has sent some trailers from his forthcoming album. If you’re a Beatles fan or into anything remotely psychedelic, you’ll adore ‘Pyramid’, with its Fab Four-esque soundscapes, great guitar sounds and Maher’s attractively aching voice. ‘The Sun Came’ is more White Album Beatles, with Maher’s vocal tending to ape Paul over some nice G(e)orge-ous guitar playing. ‘Soak It Up’ is a lush, dreamy ballad and tastefully arranged to boot, but it too rarely escapes from under its Fab Four influences. Much of what Maher does is impeccably well-crafted and cleverly-arranged and convincingly developed. But having overdosed on Beatles-fuelled Oasis for so long, it’s hard to know whether the world is ready to go for retro again so soon. Then again, with bands like the Grip Weeds doing it .....
Pearse McGloughlin’s been round these parts before as bassist with Sligo band No Socialite but he’s now taken off on his own with mainly just his guitar for company. ‘On Passing’ sits somewhere between the two Damiens, Rice and Dempsey, with McGloughlin’s impassioned voice giving it a sense of reality and presence. He sounds as if he’s singing about things that matter to him. ‘Waiting For Aspara’ is more wistful and introspective, but it could do with some judicious editing as it goes on a bit without keeping you riveted. ‘Standstill Alone’ is similarly inward-looking. McGloughlin’s songs and performances will reward those who don’t mind applying themselves to what he does, rather than expecting to have all the work done for them, for there’s a lack of catchiness about his approach and he could do with writing a snappy chorus or three.
Liam Kirkpatrick (alias The Latecomers) peddles a chiming acoustic-based sound allied to a solid voice, decent harmonies and an understated sense of confidence. On ‘The Melody Change’ he shows occasional snatches of the depth and range of Scott Walker. ‘Echoes’ is even better, with his voice really coming into its own. As a song it develops so well that it keeps you interested to the end. ‘Horse By The Water’ makes a welcome break away from the style of the first two tracks to go into mainstream mode, ably aided by his double-tracked falsetto vocal. With a production and arrangement giving more light to the chorus this could be an even more happening track. As it is, Liam has confidence, style and panache and he should go for it bald-headed.
Normally I would look forward to the prospect of listening to a demo of just one voice recorded in the kitchen on a domestic cassette recorder with no accompaniment with almost as much enthusiasm as I bring to news of a new album by Dustin. But there was something about the style and the passion in Ciara McArdle’s voice that made it all surprisingly worthwhile. ‘A Day Does Not Go By’ is, even in its rawest state, an attractive song and her honest delivery makes it even more compelling. Her vocal style allows her natural Monaghan accent to come through, and at times she has some of the inflections of Juliet Turner and the soul of Mary Coughlan. It would be good to hear this with some musical backing and decently recorded: then we’d see if Ms McArdle has the potential to be more than a contender.