Will We Be Brilliant Or What?

There are two reasons to love this album. One is the positively dinky cartoon animation video for ‘We’re Going Sailing’ (created by Spillane’s fellow Corkman Frank Prendergast), which you can see if you pop the CD into your Mac or PC. It’s a joy to watch, and the song’s not half bad either – sweet and vibey in a David Kitt-ish sort of way.

The other is a song Spillane should be very proud of, because it’s a certifiable classic: ‘All The Ways You Wander’, composed for his daughter Leslie when she was a toddler. He

first recorded it back in 1995 with his former band, Cork-based trad outfit Nomos, on the album I Won’t Be Afraid Any More. There the song was marred by a noisily tinkling piano, and here, if anything, it’s even more cluttered; but all the heavy synth chords and saccharine harps in the world can’t obliterate the fact that this is a truly great piece of writing.

‘Prince’s Street’ is another resurrected song from Spillane’s past, written originally with his pre-Nomos band, the Stargazers. It’s got a wistful chorus that accords better with Spillane’s understated singing style than upbeat numbers like recent single ‘The Dance Of The Cherry Trees’ or the title track, which features guest vocals from Juliet Turner.

Throughout the album, the two producers – Peter O’Toole (of Hothouse Flowers fame) and Declan Sinnott – seem determined to load the kitchen sink onto every track. It’s a pity, because Spillane’s lovely gentle voice and real songwriting talent would hold up just fine on their own, given half a chance. Let’s hope his next recording sees Spillane’s brilliance shine through unencumbered.