Yes, he sings songs, and this is Bram Taylor's ninth solo album for this label, in addition to his contributions to various compilations. He's not a songwriter, but an interpreter who focuses more on the work of other contemporary composers rather than the tradition. As a singer he's adequate -- able to keep a tune nicely, and with a melodic voice, but there's little of his personality in the performance and, sadly, not a great deal of emotion and depth; he's singing the lyrics, but you don't feel he's living them. Likewise, in his choice of material, he seems to go for the easy song rather than one that conveys anything complex. It's telling that the standout here is "Across the Blue Mountains," one of the two traditional pieces. It's simple, but with a lyric that's been pared away over the years. Several of the others seem mired in cliché ("The Two Brothers" treats Israel and Palestine as squabbling brothers, which seems to be a condescending analogy that does little justice to the scale of the conflict or its causes, for instance), especially the faux "leaving Ireland" ballad "Harbour Lights," partly inspired by the movie Titanic, and with about as much depth. There's no doubt that Taylor believes in these songs, but somehow he just can't bring much life to them. He sings songs, yes, but unfortunately he's not among the greats.
© Chris Nickson /TiVo