Ryan O'Shaughnessy RCA **

Scrutinising the output of reality TV contest alumni may be like shooting fish in a barrel, but things aren't as clear-cut with Ryan O'Shaughnessy. For starters, at least the 19-year- old Dubliner (a recent graduate of both The Voice of Ireland and Britain's Got Talent) writes his own material, right? Secondly, there's little to fault about his voice; what it lacks in individualism, it makes up for in suave maturity. The problem on this debut mini-album is the songs, which are generally so banal they're offensive. These are soppy, lovelorn paeans, whittled down to a frame of sensitive acoustic guitar and filled out by the occasional glistening violin or gospel- tinged backing vocal. Lyrics? Let's not go there. This apparently rushed release, with production that perhaps doesn't fully do O'Shaughnessy justice, is just completely nondescript stuff. facebook.com/mrryanacoustic

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