COLM LYNCH

TICKETY-BOO [TWO BULLETS RECORDS]

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SOUTH DUBLIN SINGER-

SONGWRITER CUTS

CONVINCING ROOTS

ROCK DASH

This South Dublin singer-songwriter has been tirelessly pounding the boards both at home and abroad, over the last few years. While he’s undoubtedly a powerhouse live performer, capable of summoning up the kind of fiery passion reminiscent of Springsteen, Van Morrison or The Waterboys, Lynch is no mean songwriter either, as this follow-up to his debut, A Whisper In A Riot confirms.

He treats the studio pretty much like he approaches his gigs: that is, he holds almost nothing back and ,with his switch-blade voice and crack band, manages to turn almost every number into an exhilarating tour-de-force. The epic opener, ‘It’s Coming Down’ is the kind of bar-band rock that the likes of The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem have been excelling at recently. And ‘Winners’ combines smouldering, soulfoul atmospherics with yearning lyrics and a nod towards Springsteen’s ‘Jungleland’ (“And the poets, no, they can’t believe their luck”). He changes tack slightly, travelling down a country road, on the foot-stomping ‘If I Was In Your Shoes’, which is not a million miles away from Steve Earle’s cow-punk classic ‘Copperhead Road’, while Dylanesque acoustic folk informs the more gently paced numbers such as ‘Hold Your Fire’ and ‘Kiss My Blues Away’. The spirit of Neil Young (‘Words’) is all over ‘Suits You’ while ‘Quicksand’, a recent single, starts out with just piano and voice but builds into a riotous show-stopping rocker.

Catch him live if you can. This will certainly whet your appetite.

COLM O’HARE

KEY TRACK: ‘IT’S COMING DOWN’

'TWO BULLETS AND A GUN'
Watch out Glen and Damien - the new high priest of raggle taggle has got you in his crosshairs. Luckily, Colm doesn't actually have two bullets and a gun, but he does seem to have a direct line to the spirits of Dylan and Mike Scott.
Kevin Courtney, I.Times

You can buy any song off the album for 99c on iTunes. (Click the iTunes icon at www.colmlynchmusic.com)

Review of the album ‘A Whisper In A Riot’ from the February 2007 edition of Totally Dublin Magazine.

Colm Lynch_ A Whisper In A Riot [Xcentury Music]

Sounding like someone who grew up listening to Paul Weller records, Colm Lynch is the latest Dublin-based troubadour to try his hand at reviving a once popular niche. Having started out playing acoustic sessions around his native city, he has slowly moved up the ranks by playing at bigger venues and attracting media exposure. A number of impressive EP’s led to a management contract and a publishing deal before being ushered into a studio to record an album’s worth of material. He actually did better than by recording the eleven tracks twice: once in their raw electric form, and once as stripped down numbers. The acoustic versions come on a bonus disc that offers the listener a welcome variation to the high-energy originals. Another welcome inclusion on this superb debut is three tracks that are old favourites for anyone familiar with Lynch’s work. Many musicians could have opted to disregard the older tunes, but he has stuck by songs like Why Must I Apologize? and opening track Lucinda .
The pacing of the album is full-blooded and played through a high tempo, a reminder of a young Weller. This is all fuelled by Lynch’s vocal capabilities, where he manages to have the listener hanging on his every word. Whether he approaches a song with wild abandon (Two Bullets & A Gun) or tentatively gets his message across (Sophie), he is always using a certain vocal style that differs slightly throughout the album. There are backing vocals present, and guitars & percussion aiding his escapade, but it is the lead man’s vocals that will ultimately win you over. Even when he sounds slightly like Nic Armstrongor John Power, there is enough originality in his tone to charm anyone daring enough to pick this record up. If more singer/songwriters like Lynch, and fellow Dublin native The Mighty Stef, keep coming up with exciting material then the day of the solo artist could very well return.

Gareth Maher

SEE ALSO: : Paul Weller – Wild Wood [Go! Discs/London], John Power – Willow She Weeps [Tanuki Tanuki], Billy Bragg – Don’t Try This At Home [Electra]



.....a captivating live performer with fantastic songs. Machine-gun percussive playing accompanies unusual lyrical content and a vivid stage presence.

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