Declan O’Rourke’s Mag Pai Zai is the Dublin singer/song-writer’s third studio album, and the first released on his own Rimecoat Records following the success of ‘Since Kyabram’ (2004), and ‘Big Bad Beautiful World’ (2007).
This is a great collection of tunes, expertly crafted by one of Ireland’s finest contemporary songwriters — detailing a considerable talent push in his artistry in order to express the poetic worldview detailed on Mag Pai Zai. While his songwriting has won him many admirers — including Paul Weller, Eddi Reader, and Paul Brady — O’Rourke is an undervalued talent on these shores, and abroad thus far. These songs are enlivened by O’Rourke’s vocal assured delivery and carefully weighted lyrics, and vivified further by nuanced instrumental playing from the artist.
O’Rouke’s vocal is particularly rich in character, and ranges from a dark-timbred tenor to a strong falsetto, at times ornamented with vibrato, and melismatic articulation. Not only is O’Rourke a distinctive and proficient singer – his vocal control and inflections at times recalling the finest folk balladeers – he is also a highly accomplished guitar player and multi-instrumentalist. His musicianship ensures the song are a delight to listen to and O’Rourke’s talent spans the vocals, harmonica, acoustic/electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and piano duties on the album.
A special mention must also go to the quality production and beautiful arrangements on the album, each instrument is allowed space and time to convey the musical picture, consequently the album is rewarding on repeated listening as nuances of sound and timbre reveal themselves on each of the ten songs. The album was recorded at The Factory and Windmill Lane Studios in Ireland and mixed at the renowned Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York. This album also benefits from the input of Steve Wickham (The Waterboys) and Fiachra Trench (collaborator with Van Morrison, The Pogues, etc.).
The album’s opening track ‘Slieve Bloom’, a fine song that benefits from an assured vocal delivery and a propulsive drum beat that arrives a minute into the song driving the narrative and mirroring the sense of a journey through a scene of rare beauty and wonder. The range of songwriting on Mag Pai Zai stretches from the swooning strings and crooning on the seductive ‘A Little Something’, to the defiant and upbeat ‘Be Brave and Believe’, and the eerie ambiance of ‘Langley’s Requiem’. O’Rourke is not content to sit back and sing simple songs of romance with an acoustic guitar backing; the lyrical content of the album spread across these ten musical vignettes detail a poetic observation of life’s pains and joy. This is a collection of popular songs from an Irish artist as good as any you’re likely to hear this or any other year. The musicianship and songwriting on the album is of the highest quality, and Mag Pai Zai is O’Rourke’s most mature and accomplished set of songs to date.
Declan O’Rouke is currently touring around the country, for more details check out his official website: