Marc O'Reilly
Album: Human Herdings
Label: Salt & Shake
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.marcoreillymusic.com

With his debut album, "My Friend Marx", Mark O'Reilly laid down an album that very quickly made him an darling of independent radio shows as well as garnering him a slot on our very own Showcase Sessions. It was quite a calling card, strong songwriting sensibilities with intense underlying guitar riffs that gave the material a real edge and as you can probably tell from the title, more than a little biting satire.

"Human Herdings" is O'Reilly's sophomore cut and you don't have to be more than a few chords in to realise that album number one was no fluke, it might actually have been a bit understated.

Marc O'Reilly hails from Ireland and could arguably be better compared to the likes of Joyce and Wilde than his musical contemporaries, though I would doubt either of the two writers I've name checked would be capable of being so expressive in a five minute roots rock song, though concede that Wilde could definitely deliver the venom.

There is a lot of anger and frustration in "Human Herding", the type brought on by not being able to understand why others can't see what is right in front of them, be it yet another political con trick or someone not realising that the relationship that they are in really is the one.

I'm hoping that Marc O'Reilly doesn't suffer from another legendary frustration, not turning critical success into a more commercial one, talent should starve to death in a garret. This is an incredibly strong album, one that borders on being a work of genius. It has oodles of things to recommend it, well 9 tracks, which is its only weakness, it's too short, but simply put it on repeat and let it hit home again.

Neil King