PAUL BRADY : UNFINISHED BUSINESS

PAUL BRADY : UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Unfinished Business
I Love You But You Love Him
Something To Change
Say You Don't Mean
Oceans Of Time
Harvest Time
The Cocks Are Crowing
I Like How You Think
Maybe Tomorrow
Once In A Life Time
Lord Thomas And Fair Ellender

Label : Proper Records

Release Date : September 8, 2017

Length : 44:09

Review (Folk Radio) : The breadth of appeal in Paul Brady's music has perhaps never been more clearly exhibited than in his first solo album for seven years - Unfinished Business. In a career that has spanned more than five decades, produced 15 solo albums and more collaborations than seems possible in one lifetime; Brady's skill as song writer, musician and singer flourished with the folk revival of the sixties and seventies, then grew to chart and reflect on the cultural and political changes of the eighties and nineties. It's a career that has seen Brady effortlessly embrace a wide range of influences, producing honest and accessible music that, as time goes on, continues to reach out to a wider audience. Unfinished Business opens with its title track and a soft jazz quartet. Add in a sleepy bass and Brady's in the mood for crooning. Mellow barely begins to describe the vocal and piano interplay, as upright bass and perfectly understated vocal harmonies send warm tingles down the spine. It's a deliciously smooth opening that finds its peer towards the end of the album with the gentle song of love and hope, co-written with veteran song writer Ralph Murphy, Once In A Lifetime. Following on from his last studio album of new music, 2010's assured and highly acclaimed Hooba Dooba, Paul recorded Unfinished Business at his home studio in Dublin, playing most of the instruments and engineering the album himself. Two of the album's tracks see Paul return to traditional favourites, while the remainder, like Once In A Lifetime, have been co-written - three with New York based Irish poet Paul Muldoon, and five with acclaimed Nashville songwriter and producer Sharon Vaughn. Together the songs succeed in highlighting Brady's success as a collaborative song writer, and offer a glimpse of almost every musical twist and turn his five-decade career has taken. It's almost as if, after turning a very youthful 70 this year, he's spent the last few years nurturing songs that reference every aspect of that career to date. Those gentle love songs are contrasted by the crisp and quirky I Love You But You Love Him. Finding hope in the notion that opposites attract, the song's upbeat keyboard and infectious rhythm confirm that Brady is as much a master of pop/country as he is of folk song. The song is well matched by the engagingly entertaining lyric of I Like How You Think - both bringing a little heat to the album's mix. The driving beat of Say What You Mean offers an edge that's equally sharp but on a more contentious level, as Brady and Muldoon join forces in an acerbic put-down of the ill-informed critic. It's when writing along-side Sharon Vaughn, though, that Brady's mellow side shines through. The genial, downbeat Oceans of Time enjoys all the hallmarks of a Paul Brady classic and a simply beautiful flute solo that drifts away on dreamy synth and chimes. That steady, mellow pace is mirrored as Harvest Time encourages us to kick back and float gently down river, along with an equally mellow jazz guitar. In contrast, the energy, soul and bold brass of Something To Change is sure to draw favourable comparisons with some of Van Morrison's most popular work. The sheer strength of the backing vocals and the vehemence in the closing chant bringing an element of social comment. Maybe Tomorrow is an engaging celebration of the moment, where flute, accordion and mandolin provide the pace and excitement that will make this a stand-out track for many listeners. The unashamedly Irish twinkle in its eye also serves as a timely reminder of Brady's peerless ability with a folk tune - which brings us to the two traditional songs that form part of his Unfinished Business. The Cocks Are Crowing makes the most of that clear, soulful voice; and expertly adapts a traditional song to fit around the wider sound of keyboards, picked guitar and soft percussion. With harmonica and accordion for the bridge, it's an almost hymnal celebration of the traditions that inspired Paul's early music. One of those early influences was Pete Seeger's rendition of Lord Thomas And Fair Ellender, which Paul returns to for the album's close. Riding on a beautifully melodic guitar and decked out in rustic harmonica; with its tinkle of mandolin and balladeer vocal, the song is a prince in pauper's clothing. It closes the album on a traditional note that will have habitual Paul Brady fans reaching for their copy of Welcome Here Kind Stranger, or his incomparable 1976 collaboration with Andy Irvine, and new converts inspired to discover those particular delights for the first time. Paul Brady is a master craftsman when it comes to not just writing songs, but establishing a setting that provides a perfect fit. Combine that skill set with a soulful voice that has the power to stir and the sense to soothe, and we can begin to see why an album with such varied influences, that provides us with such a wealth of dissimilar approaches, can still be enjoyed as one unified whole. There aren't many who could pull it off, and even fewer can do so as convincingly. Unfinished Business isn't a title that hints at unfulfilled musical ambitions. Rather, it confirms that, on turning 70, Paul Brady still has plenty more to offer. Everything about Unfinished Business tells us that he is likely to remain, for some time yet, at the very peak of his powers.

Review (Real Roots Café) : De in 1947 geboren Noord-Ier Paul Brady heeft er al een behoorlijke carrière opzitten, zijn eerste werkstuk verscheen al in 1976, een LP die hij samen met Andy Irvine maakte en welke hij nog altijd beschouwt als zijn beste werk. Op zijn 14 solo-albums tot dusver toont hij aan van allerlei muzikale markten thuis te zijn. Nummer 15 verschijnt nu op Proper Records, een jaar of zeven na de voorganger 'Hooba Dooba' (hoewel er in 2012 nog een dubbel overzicht verscheen: 'Dancer In The Fire: A Paul Brady Anthology'). De opnamen werden gemaakt in Paul's eigen studio in Dublin, Paul was ook de technicus en hij bespeelde vrijwel alle instrumenten zelf. Negen van de elf songs op de CD zijn nieuw en geschreven door hemzelf met hulp van anderen. De twee overige songs zijn traditionals, 'Lord Thomas And Fair Ellender' dat hij zingt sinds hij in de jaren 60 de versie van Mike Seeger hoorde en 'The Cocks Are Crowing' dat hij leerde van Eddie Butcher. De muziek op deze nieuwe CD is ingetogen, er zijn duidelijke invloeden van Ierse volksmuziek, maar ook van Amerikaanse rootsmuziek - we horen incidenteel een steel gitaar voorbijkomen. Mijn favorieten zijn behalve de heerlijke echt Ierse ballade 'The Cocks Are Crowing' ook het jazzy 'Unfinished Business'. Een lekker rockertje met een gave tekst is 'Say You Don't Mean: 'You say Matisse and Picasso scanned the Montparnasse sky, they envied Samson in Gaza his blind all-seeing eye, not to mention his outrageous hair'. Brady's stem is helder en doorleefd, zijn gitaarspel functioneel en aangenaam. Het bestaan van Paul Brady was mij tot dusver geheel ontgaan, maar nu weet ik waar hij voor staat. En dat is aangename en goed in het gehoor liggende muziek in het folk- en pop idioom. (Proper Records)

Review (Red Guitar Music) : Paul Brady celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this year and has been making albums and stealing hearts with an onstage twinkle in his eye for more than five decades. His significant achievements are little known (especially outside of Ireland) making him an almost secret national treasure and speaking volumes about the man's modesty. Given the changes in the music industry during the seven-year gap between this release and 2010's acclaimed Hooba Dooba, Brady admits wondering - for a time - if there was even any point in putting out a new record but his fans will no doubt be glad he did. The album has evolved at its own pace over the past four years with Brady handling almost all the instruments himself, as well as engineering the record at his own studio in Dublin. This gives Unfinished Business a cosy, boxy feel but cements the idea that Paul Brady is unassuming, humble and grounded, despite being one of the most important folk-rock artists of his generation. The title track and opener could easily fool you into thinking that this is the laid-back jazz opus of Brady's twilight years. Personally I wouldn't have minded that at all as 'Unfinished Business' is refreshingly unexpected, with its tinkling piano and upright bass giving it a Harvest Moon-goes-lounge feel. More recognisably in character, though, are the straight ahead folk-rock tracks that follow: the playful 'I Love You but You Love Him' and the Van Morrisonesque 'Something To Change' with its blasts of brass. There are five co-writes with veteran songwriter Sharon Vaughn, two of which crown the middle of the album in the form of the unhurried, simple ballads 'Oceans of Time' and 'Harvest Time'. Both allow us to luxuriate in Brady's beautifully brittle vocal delivery - a trademark that has remained unchanged for the entirety of his career. 'The Cocks Are Crowing' follows, with gently fingerpicked guitar and warm Rhodes. It's the first of two traditional songs on the album, the other being 'Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender' which closes the record, scarcely dressed in raggedy harmonica, guitar and mandolin. 'I Like How You Think' is very Tangled Up In Blue-era Dylan and, as such, is irresistibly jaunty. 'Maybe Tomorrow' (another co-write with Vaughn) also has a real transatlantic feel and showcases Brady's none too shabby mandolin skills. Whether in Paul's own hands or someone else's, the song has the potential, I think, to be a big commercial success. Another hit-worthy highlight is the country ballad 'Once In A Lifetime', co-written with Ralph Murphy. It's sentimental and soppy and in danger of drowning it its own lashings of pedal steel but Brady's voice is just so comforting that none of that matters. With Unfinished Business we find Paul Brady as charming and as capable as ever. What is remarkable is that an artist who has been celebrated with accolades throughout his career and has now started to pick up lifetime achievement awards remains so musically and personally down-to-earth. This is just a lovely collection of simply constructed songs, sung with unmatchable heart and warmth. Paul Brady's consistent reliability in making this look like an easy task may lead folks to take him for granted. But even if you think of him as part of the furniture, you can't deny he's still one of the most comfortable chairs in the room.

Review (Keys And Chords) : Singer/songwriter en multi-instrumentalist Paul Brady is Ierlands populairste artiest. Paul werd geboren op 19 mei 1947 in Belfast, maar groeide op in Strabane in Noord-Ierland. Opgroeiend in de jaren '50, kwam hij eerst met de jazz en swing van de generatie van zijn ouders in contact. Later kwamen daar 50's rock & roll, 60's pop, Motown, blues, rhythm & blues en country en western bij. Genres die allemaal, het ene al meer dan het andere, terug te vinden zijn op 'Unfinished Business'. Paul heeft een stem die vele genres aankan. Als jazzy crooner ontpopt hij zich in de titeltrack en in 'Something To Change' doet hij denken aan die andere Ier, Van Morrison. Het akoestische 'Harvest Time' toont eerder de relaxte zijde van Paul. Brady verwerkt ook invloeden uit de Keltische folk in zijn nummers. Hij doet dit in 'Maybe Tomorrow' en in iets mindere mate in 'Oceans Of Time'. Traditionele folk tref je dan weer aan op 'The Cocks Are Crowing' en afsluiter 'Lord Thomas And Fair Ellender'. Gelet op de titel van het album is de inmiddels 70 jarige Brady nog niet aan zijn pensioen toe. Helemaal niet erg, laat hem maar rustig doorgaan met het componeren van heerlijke muziek.

Review (Americana UK) : With Bob Dylan having declared Paul Brady to be a "secret hero" of his, you know there's got to be some serious pedigree from an artist in a career spanning a period of some 54 years now. 'Unfinished Business,' Brady's 15th solo album, features nine new compositions and two traditional folk songs. After a hiatus of 7 years since the release of his last album 'Hobart Dooba,' the music on 'Unfinished Business' is as eclectic as many of his previous studio releases, moving from the jazzy influenced title track, with lovely shared harmony vocals - to more uptempo, humorous numbers such as 'I Love You But You Love Him.' The latter starts off like a paen to shared domestic bliss with Paul Brady singing the merits of his and his respective partner's differing interests with clever wordplay - until the payoff chorus kicks in with, "I love you, but you love him." The record sags slightly in terms of quality after the first couple of numbers, with 'Something to Change' and 'Say You Don't Mean' sounding a bit repetitious, but the album is at its very best with the slower, more reflective numbers, particularly the album stand outs, 'Once In A Lifetime,' (about the redemptive power of love), and the reflective 'Oceans of Time,' which has a lovely flute solo. Paul Brady's always been renowned for being a strong interpreter of traditional covers such as 'Arthur McBride' (considered by many to be "the" definitive version) and 'The Lakes of Pontchartrain,' and this is a feat he repeats to great effect on this album with his rendition of two songs, 'The Cocks Are Crowing' - and the final track on the album, 'Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender.' The breadth of music on offer on 'Unfinished Business' is mightily impressive and proof that even after such a long time away, Paul Brady still has much to offer. Bob, no doubt, would still approve.