Sunday, March 13, 2011

Mick Flannery

Mick Flannery is a remarkable singer-songwriter from Blarney, Co. Cork whose debut album 'Evening Train' was released on EMI Music Ireland in 2007. Formally employed as a stone mason, Flannery found his true creative talent in music while living in the US for a brief period. While there he entered a songwriting competition based in Nashville and won two top awards.
His course singing voice could be compared to that of a young, Tom Waits or perhaps even John Martyn; it wouldn't be unfair to suggest that Bruce Springsteen is a big influence also.
Urban Folk magazine described Flannery as a 'songwriter of the first order...His voice is pained, gravelly and powerful. Recorded or live, it follows through and stops you in your tracks' which is a good assessment of what this man is about.
2008 saw the release of his second studio album called 'White Lies' to high critical acclaim, 'Wish You well' is one of the songs on that collection. Here is a live version, filmed at Sherkin Island Co. Cork 2009...
Both of Mick Flannery's albums are a document of an a natural storyteller unafraid of writing about heartbreak and human fragility expressed with true emotion.  This is the title song from his first album 'Evening Train'

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