Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

This is roots rock at its finest as the Irish singer/songwriter tackles seven original songs. Emotional, vibey music from the band brings the songs to life and the production from Ronan Johnston of Emmaus fame only adds to the overall quality. "Honey Babe" has a beautiful melody and a lyric of desperate love plus some great guitar from Brian Tavey. It's a warm balance to the bite of songs like "Noah's Song" which is reminiscent of Neil Young and the uncompromising edgy opener "The Fire Next Time" (complete with an angry denouncement of "buggering priests"). The fiery "The Bride And The Whore" is a mixture of despair and hope brought together with a brilliant mix of honesty and poetry. Like the rest of the songs on here, it's superb stuff. I love Clare's gentle self mocking sense of humour which delights on songs like "Angels" and "Welcome Back". Overall, it's a fine seven-song effort that intrigues, challenges and gives hope simultaneously. (

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