Review by Robert O’ Connor
Having not heard much about Dublin / Meath man, Tadhg (Tiger) Cooke for several years, Fingertips of the Silversmith has come as a very welcome surprise today. Mixing the finest delicacies and melody the singer / songwriter genre has to offer and tying it altogether with his own brand of soothing, from the heart, clever and witty personality. Although, labeling this record as singer songwriter is very unfair as there’s a lot more here than just Tadhg, a guitar and a never ending list of unhappy memories. Instead, Tadhg has released a peaceful, varied, character filled breath of fresh air that deserves a lot of attention.
Rather than following down the mournful, woe is me path that many of his peers choose, Tadhg’s sound is upbeat, likable and lively. Fingertips of the Silversmith is delivered in a crisp clean tone with the songs banding together to form an incredibly tight, allusively diverse record. Grinding Teeth, Rid Of Her, Andrea’s Fault and Not In My Nature are guitar heavy, dark cavern filled sing alongs, spaciously dotted around the album so you never feel like the album’s hit a dead end. Each one displays perfect melodies, excellent structures and pure enjoyment.
This Isn’t Easy, There’s An Elvis In Us All, I Knew Better and the albums flagship single, Out Of Reach show a more personal, diverse side to Tadhg’s writing with styles ranging from organ driven soul, blue grass, folk and gentle pop. The songs show a seriousness that Tadhg hasn’t overburdened with clichéd changes, vocals, self-importance or any of the common pitfalls that often befall today’s folk based performers.
Lyrically the songs avoid any of the usual death traps for this style. While the themes of love will of course be familiar to any fans of popular music form the last hundred years, his presentation is genuine and fully believable, something that gives the songs an instant credibility.
Your Truth North brings the album to a close and delivers one of the most splendid compositions on offer. The guitars and vocals are set against a dark background and the image of Tadhg and band on a small, barely lit stage performing to a frozen crowd is easy to visualize. Very soothing, very appealing and a lovely way to close one of the strongest albums an Irish artist has come out with this year. It may have been five years since Tadhg’s debut album, Wax & Seal but Fingertips of the Silversmith has made it worth the wait.