Donagh Cadogan, aka Cado, is an unsigned singer/songwriter hailing from Naas. He has been writing songs and playing gigs since June 2010 but it wasn’t until the summer of this year that he got into the studio to lay down his debut EP, ‘Shine’. Recorded alongside Peter Lee Rec, ‘Shine’, released on November 4th, is a three track EP inspired by Cado’s experiences in life.

Title track, Shine, is a simple, summery song which instantly transports you to a sunny, sandy beach. Lyrically however, the song is quite dark and speaks of Cado’s frustrations and tough decisions. Girls in Glass is reminiscent of Joshua Radin‘s Winter with its subtle guitar strums and angst-laden vocals which seem to be the requirement for an appearance on an episode of Scrubs. Closing song, I Wanna Tell You is a major let down after the promising start to this EP. The song is lyrically weak and never seems to get going, with Cado apparently happy to just let the song plod along at its own pace.

Unfortunately for Cado, the Shine EP doesn’t inspire its listeners to come back for more. The tunes are nice, but that’s it, they’re just nice, there’s no personality, no confidence, and especially no distinguishing aspects to his sound. That’s not to say there’s no potential however. Cado’s gravelly vocals are endearingly honest. Couple that with a little bit more experience and this reviewer may have a change of heart down the line.