Still well shy of his 30th birthday, Colm Quearney is already something of a veteran on the Irish music scene, having been an integral part of Lir as well as playing guitar for such luminaries as Rory Gallagher and Holly Johnson. His first solo album is an enjoyable burst of well-crafted power pop and dreamy melodies that makes up with strong musicianship what it lacks in originality. It's clearly a real labour of love but unfortunately much of the fun seems to have been left behind the studio; the songs are all just a bit too orthodox to get really excited about. A respectable debut, then, but next time it would be nice to hear Quearney push the boat out a little.
