CATHY DAVEY
The Pattern ★★★★
Her voice remains instantly recognisable, but Cathy Davey's first new single in six years does represent rather a departure for the Wicklow songwriter. Synths and electronic atmospherics replace her signature guitar sound. But sure-footed as ever, the result is as beguiling as anything she's done to date.
RYAN ADAMS ft. THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS & NICKI BLUHM
Oh My Sweet Carolina (Live on Colbert) ★★★★
Minus a little context, it isn't exactly clear why Ryan Adams chose to revisit this track from his brilliant alt-country solo debut Heartbreaker on Stephen Colbert's Late Show the other night. (If I recall correctly, I first witnessed him perform the song at the Ambassador in Dublin all of sixteen years ago.) But who's counting? Oh My Sweet Carolina is a classic. And having recently returned from visiting that beautiful, complicated place, I can attest that the sweetest winds do indeed blow across the South.
BLOOMS
Distance ★★★
London-based Mayo native Louise Cunnane here serves up the final instalment in her Love Trilogy (after her earlier singles Fall and Love.) So what have we learned? Nothing that Pat Benatar didn't attempt to warn us all those years ago. Love is a battlefield. And if you plan on going out there, best wear a Kevlar vest.
Girls Talk Boys ★★★
Capitol
From a reviewers perspective, throwing shade at a navel-gazing single by an Australian boyband, culled from the soundtrack to a much-maligned summer blockbuster movie, should be like shooting fish in a barrel. But much like the
Ghostbusters
reboot itself, the execution here is competent enough to give pause to even the most fervent hater.
[ Girls Talk BoysOpens in new window ]
is white boy funky in a fashion that calls to mind everyone from Talking Heads to The Rapture.
