Reviews
“Introducing” conjures up these images for me. A time before celtic tiger blandness in music, where musicians put their all into their albums for the sake of the music, not for the payday. It has our cultural identity stamped all over it. From songs influenced by the ghosts of showbands passed, tractors and our own knack of turning the humour magnifying glass onto ourselves. Ciaran is quite simply a cunning and comedic lyricist and songwriter. “I got a map to find my head, and found it up my ass” (June Madness), “I’m clocking in, i’m clocking out, i got a desk, a rubber stamp, a calculator for a brain, and half a gram to ease the pain” (This Congregation), are just some of Mr O’Neil’s fine bon mots. It’s an album you can’t help grinning along to. Not just because of the cheeky lines, but because of the welcome return of that that feeling of pride that someone out there is making music so totally unafraid of parodying itself, so quintessentially irish.
(CHEW YOUR OWN FAT – ALBUM REVIEW 2012)
HOTPRESS Review
CAVAN ACTS WHIPPING BOY ENDORSED DEBUT IS SOMETHING SPECIAL…
“Introducing” is the debut album from Cavan based band C O NEILL & CO. and its a wonderfully ragged and whiskey-soaked release thats full of dark observations and bruised and battered ballads. Ciarán O Neill`s broad accent really helps add some character to songs such as “I Fall In” & ” Half Man Half Tractor” and while a few of the country tinged numbers may take a while to embed themselves into your brain, once they do you`ll be humming them for weeks. Album highlight is the epic and anthemic “Look Da No Hands” which features a guest appearance from Whipping Boy`s Fearghal Mc Kee, and his typically impassioned spoken-word performance ends proceedings on a massive high – Edwin Mc Fee / Hotpress