Ian O'Doherty is a modest Kerryman who is releasing his first ever musical piece. In the form of an EP titled Never In Colour. The ep is a surprising delicate introduction to the kind of singer songwriter that channels the likes of Damien Rice and Tom Baxter in one sweeping blow.
The opener 'The Temptation of Eve' stuck with me after I heard it driving home late one night from a gig in Dublin that I had to review. Rte Radio 1 I think was where I heard it. Resting comfortably on the airwaves, it is a song that has a rather sexualised lyrical sub context, yet is sang with such passion that it eludes any notion of vulgarity that exists in popular music today. Its not like Rhiannons sub context or Nicki Minaj thats for sure! There is a class here that is eloquent and graceful, poetic even :
"In the cool of the morning, I can feel your skin, slide as silk, guilty as sin, over my body. Oh you came without warning, I let you in, blinded by near skin, I was burdened again, and I let you go to work on me..."
Insofar as debut releases go, this EP should be a decent stepping stone to engage people and gather attention in order to gain a momentum simply on the title track as tracks 2 and 3 fall flat slightly. Last song Somebodys Hands On My Skin embodies a Fleet Foxes energy that saves the EP for me and redeems O'Doherty impressively.
I feel this is only the beginning for this Singer Songwriter. Armed with a watered-down coffeehouse troubadour voice that will sit well as background music, O'Doherty may have to raise the bar ever so slightly to find his own identity for his Long Player as he wears his influences prominently on his sleeve. But if the ep is anything to go by, he is honing in on a craft of confessional story telling that will appeal to a certain niche. The con is with a voice that lush, a more mainstream stance would not go astray to veer away from being ostensible.
Listen to the entire ep here.
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