Reviews
for 'belle?'
UTV (2004)
Paul Tiernan's first album since the brilliant God Knows I Love A Happy
Ending doesn't disappoint, and is a rich tapestry of restrained music
and deep introspection.
This review published - Wednesday 15/09/2004
by Lorcan Mac Muiris
It's been a while coming, but Belle was worth the wait. I've already
gone on record as saying the title track is one of my favourite songs
of all time, but the rest of the album is packed with mini-classics wrought
from substantial lyrics too, from the tender and sentimental Thin Blood
to the aphoristic, pragmatic Lemon.
Belle is soaked with ambience and is an album full of quiet, gentle understatement,
though it doesn't want for profundity in spite of that. Instantly memorable
guitar lines; full, dark, woody sounds and atmospheric arrangements shine
through from the clear, well-balanced recording to paint a picture of
a mind more accustomed to looking inwards than outwards - many of the
songs concern memories of times past - but it would be a mistake to assume
there is no commentary on the human condition here, or to assume that
it's all "doom and gloom".
Mr Smile, for instance; the emotional, lyrical, harmonic, melodic and
timbral low-point of the album, flicks itself out of its lonely daze with
a gallic thump or two (Tiernan is based in France and has absorbed a modicum
of French flair, it would seem) and gives itself a whole new perspective.
Pretend sounds like it could fit in perfectly to the soundtrack of one
of those bittersweet "romcoms" that are so bafflingly popular
of late. Consistent and true to iitself it may be, but Belle still has
a contradiction or two up its sleeve.
All in All this is not an album that will have you up dancing around
the room, but wonderful for the equally important practice of sitting
quietly and listening. When you do, you will be rewarded: there is a lot
to hear here. The quote at the top of this article comes from Belle but
can broadly encompass the rest of the songs on the eponymous album too.
You may not have to like it, but you take the good with the bad. When
you're Paul Tiernan, you write great songs about them both.
PAUL TIERNAN Belle Right Stuff Records *** (Irish
Times)
He's plied a trade for a decade now, gradually unpicking his identity
from his previous incarnation as Flex and The Fastweather. Paul Tiernan's
a singer-songwriter who's suffered from a surplus of on-stage bravado
and a tendency towards effete fragility in the recording studio.
His French base proves musically fortuitous: shades of accordion cast
subtle shadows across the title track; an organ lends a louche introduction
to Pretend, and Tiernan's voice is less mannered than before, inhabiting
its own skin comfortably, at last. Belle bursts forth with childhood memories
of cricket bats and grand observations on life's intermittent bursts of
activity.
Tiernan is gradually stripping the floorboards of his life back to the
bare wood: a welcome postcard, not so much from the edge, as from the
past.
www.paultiernan.com
Siobhán Long
Cdbaby 2006
Don't get the wrong idea, but Paul Tiernan's album, "Belle,"
is worth the $12.97 just for the knee-wobbler title track alone. However,
that's not to say that the other eleven songs are any lless stunning,
each with their own genius.
This disc is, quite frankly, entirely captivating from track one to twelve;
Paul just simply knows how to magically open an album in such a way that
you are completely knocked off your feet, catching your breath and searching
for something solid to grab onto.
With a voice so smooth and rich that it resembles something edible, with
lyrics so insightful and moving that they stand alone as poetry, and with
the way he treats the acoustic guitar so llusciously that it echoes something
more like a string section, this is, without a doubt, one of the most
memorable male folk albums to come through our doors in years. We call
it the "goosebump factor" but when the heart skips a few beats,
that's a good sign, too.
And as much as artists don't care to be compared with others, it's impossible
to resist commenting on the resemblance of his voice and style, at least
on occasion, to Sting.
With subtle jazz undertones and a songwriting approach that starts with
solidly conveying a story and taking his listeners to another world, Paul
Tiernan is no less than a magician, an emotional emissary, an inspiration
and reminder that the best mood-altering drug around is music.
PAUL TIERNAN (Australia.....SA Life magazine review by Chris Clark)
Music weaves its magic web into most aspects of our daily lives though
it is hard to determine why some music leaves us cold yet other melodies
can touch us deeply. Could it be that any music which is in sympathy with
our personality and current mood will please us best?
Paul Tiernan is relatively unknown in Australia, his new CD Belle will
please many as it demonstrates the essence of the songwriter’s art
with his superbly crafted confessional songs. Words flow over memorable
guitar lines and understated arrangements, ranging in style from a laconic
solo guitar to jazz influences and Gallic accordion playing.
Hot Press describes Tiernan as “The master of the poignant love
song” think of Tim Buckley meets Donovan. Stand out tracks are the
very personal title track with its line “mistakes are accidents
we choose”, while the poignant Little Hands starts gently and builds
into strings with voices echoing the chorus. The accordion laced Stones
has a dream like quality while Mr Smile starts gently with voice and guitar
building into a string laden climax, then comes the childlike Little Hands
which is pure magic.
While the mysterious girl on the CD cover is Tiernan’s Belle, the
title could certainly be a description of his music.
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