Ray Heffernan & The Grand Canal Band: New Dress Woven

They say that first impressions last, but precisely what kind of impression is the prospective reviewer supposed to form when an album arrives wearing a miniature tartan skirt? And when the CD inside comes wrapped in a silky/satin number, it gets even curioser!
Perhaps the giveaway is in the album’s title, which is taken from a Patrick Kavanagh poem (talk about a literal interpretation!). What of the music? Dubliner Ray Heffernan comes with at least some fame and notoriety in that he’s the original part-writer of one of the biggest songs ever – Robbie Williams’ mega smash, ‘Angels’, on which he collaborated with the ex-Take That man after they’d met in a Dublin pub! All that said, there’s nothing here that sounds remotely like the aforementioned hit. Indeed, if anything, it’s much better. Recorded with a group of top Italian musicians, Heffernan’s songs are memorable, catchy and well-performed. ‘Amy’s Answer’ is a strong opener, with a powerful melody and a meandering violin that recalls Steve Wickham’s trademark Waterboys fiddle-playing.
Heffernan immediately changes tack on the funk-disco workout that is ‘Beautiful Mistake’. Meanwhile, ‘No Tomorrows’ could be a Pet Shop Boys tune while ‘As You Were’ calls to mind something from a Pink Floyd or David Gilmore album. The cumulativeeffect is a bit scattershot. Elsewhere, a crunchy guitar riff and massed choirs backdrop ‘La Mia Ave Maria’ and ‘Stardust’ is a lovely, waltz-like ballad that manages to namecheck Howth Junction and Greystones Dart station. While Heffernan’s voice isn’t the most emotionally-charged, he stretches his vocals on the poignant ‘Gravediggers’, which recounts a love-struck journey through the north inner City – culminating with a pint in the legendary Glasnevin pub from which the song takes its title.
Intriguing!