Tag: Robyn G. Shiels

  • John Edgar Voe: Western Notes Review

    John Edgar VoeThese guys are clever, John Edgar Voe isn’t a bloke, it’s a band. Led by Martin J Corrigan, the band also features one Robyn G Shiels and members of Alloy Mental.

    John Edgar Voe’s sound is definitely country tinged, the first track, ‘Highwayman’ has nice use of lap steel, Corrigan though, refers to it as Fermanicana. Clever. Americana from Fermanagh, which is exactly what it is.

    ‘Highwayman’ has echoes of  Johnny Cash, which is never a bad thing but pronounication of some of the lyrics, region, drug, make this distinctly JEV.  ‘The Conscript’ uses clever lyrics to build the story of our hero. The mid tempo track features laid back vocals as we hear the pain in the singers immaculately delivered vocals. This almost has an anthemic feel with an uplifting positive chorus. I really like this track. (more…)

  • Robyn G. Shiels: The Great Depression Review

    Robyn G ShielsWith a title like the The Great Depression, thoughts of country music sung by a broken soul come to mind. Robyn G. Shiels‘ voice and sparse guitar and musical style, capture the vibe exquisitely. This automatically puts Shiels in the same ballpark as Ryan Bingham.

    This five track shows Shiels as an honest performer and songwriter with a great command of how a song should be delivered. While there are points throughout the tracks where Shiels is accompanied by a band, he is never overpowered, his vocals always remaining centre of attention.

    2012 sees the release of ‘Hello Death’ (he’s a cheery fellow isn’t he?), going on this, it should be an album to watch out for. (more…)