Reviews
for 'virgoville'
Performing Songwriter (USA) 1999
Virgoville As a member of the Irish group Flex and the Fastweather, Paul
Tiernan had several hit singles in Ireland and worked with U2’s manager
Paul McGuiness. Since then he’s backed Donovan, the HotHouse Flowers,
Sinéad Lohan, and Mary Black.
Virgoville is his second release, and it moves away from the more acoustic
sound Tiernan has been known for and finds him plugging in and turning
up. The European trade magazine, Today F.M., named it “Best Album Of The
Year,” proving Virgoville is definitely a fine collection of guitar-driven,
modern rock.
“Kevin Is Dreaming” is reminiscent of Tom Petty’s “Last Dance With Mary
Jane” with crunchier guitars. “Will You Run” keeps the pace albeit with
a softer, sweeter backing and showcases Tiernan’s lovely tenor as well
as his way with a melody. With its muted acoustic guitar and atmospheric
lap steel shadings, “Beth” is the album’s quietest and most evocative
moment. The drunken sway of “Diary Of An Angel” runs a close second, while
“How Long” and “Emily” serve up more of his tasty hooks.
Hot Press refers to Tiernan as “the master of the poignant love song.”
Virgoville finds the master at the top of his game.
Kevin Courtney Irish Times
Paul Tiernan: "Virgoville" (Right Stuff Records)
Rock'n'roll troubador Tiernan has been trekking down the back roads of
Irish rock for quite a while, in search of an American vision of pure
prairie pop. Tiernan is an old hand at penning a solid rock tune, and
Kevin Is Dreaming opens his new account with some clever, offbeat riffing
and a big, bad Creedence-style delivery. Heroine is more subdued, steering
a path closer to The Replacements; Will You Run shuffles along on a dusty
beat, and Beth slides gently on a Nashville breeze and a lonely steel
guitar.
While there's no faulting Tiernan's finesse, there's a feeling that he
may be treading a well-worn but long-abandoned road while the rest of
the world is crawling merrily along the superpop highway.
HOT PRESS………..1998
Virgoville is an album that will stand the test of time. In fact, such
is the removed nature of the songs that is could conceivably have been
made at any time in the last two decades and probably the next two as
well…….songs like the opening "Kevin is dreaming"
, "Heroine" and the catchy, uptempo "Emily" are saturated
with Kieran Kennedy’s excellent axework, and are reminiscent of Neil
Young in some places…….meanwhile , the plaintive "Beth",
with it’s gentle acoustic guitar and fragile falsetto vocals, proves
that Tiernan can slow things down with equal aplomb…
Tiernan’s voice is pitched somewhere between Michael Stipe and
Neil Young, and his lyrics are always articulate and intelligent, nowhere
more so than on the brilliant "Mascara, mascara" the best song
here by miles……
CORK EXAMINER…….1998
…..unlike his last platter "Who’s fooling who?" an
impressive if too even and ultimately too gentle solo album, "Virgoville"
has more scars and balls and the rusty steel spine of electric ‘geetars’….
This darker and far more satisfying encounter with Tiernan finds him
right at home with an atmospheric smoky , post Lanois production courtesy
of Kieran Kennedy…….Tiernan has been blessed with a fine voice
that can recall the vocals of Tim Buckley and David Gates…….this
time the blurb is actually right , this boy deserves to go far!
FOLK ROOTS( BRITAIN) 1998
PAUL TIERNAN Virgoville Right Stuff Records RSR CD 002
Amphidexterous is an adjective which adequately describes Paul Tiernan'smusic.
Virgoville his second album takes a different slant to his acoustic based
debut Who's fooling Who. This time the music devides itself evenly between
shimmering acoustics and full throttle dives into the world of rockand
roll.
Tiernan has traversed these waters before with Flex and theFastweather
and now hauling in ex Black Velvet band guitarist Kieran Kennedy to produce
goes for a bigger bolder sound and cinematic approach. His expressive
voice and astute sense of lyricism makes for a singer/songwriterof rare
quality.
In many ways Virgoville is an effort to join the twinstrands which cover
Paul Tiernan's musical map the edgy rockers and plaintive melodic ballads
are executed with a warm natural aura and radiate a pulsating energy and
sense of purpose.
At one end you have the histrionics of Heroine the lyrics and sentiment
of which Michael Stipe would undoubtedly approve and the pure pop of Emily
where the nursery rhyme type lyric belies a song of greater substance
both also happen to be laden with contagious hooklines.
The caustic How Long and What Do You Do both benefit from the band treatment
where Kennedy, bassist Kevin Murphy and drummer Dave Clarke lock into
overdrive and create the right sense of menace and power.On the other
end of the scale the shimmering vulnerability of Will You Run is emphasised
by Joe Ryan's pedal steel and Kennedy's restrained yet atmospheric guitar
work.
An adroit command of wordplay adorns MascaraMascara probably the strongest
individual song on display where Tiernan expertly paints a picture of
both vulnerability and shattered dreams.Beth and the closing Blue Roses,
both gentle acoustic ballads shimmer and create a lingering atmosphere
every word and nuance perfectly in place and necessary.
Paul Tiernan's songs are typical examples of occasions wherethere is
much more going on than meets the eye and Virgoville has a plethoraof
articulate well crafted songs full of melodic twists and lyrical nuances
which reveal themselves on continued exposure. Virgoville is a powerful
statement of intent and puts Paul Tiernan in the top flight of Irish contemporary
singer/songwriters.
Right Stuff Records
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