Lofty Reviews: Jack O’Rourke Dreamcatcher

The stunning album from Jack O’Rourke Dreamcatcher has wowed us in Ceol Caint HQ. Lofty gives his thoughts on the release

‘Dreamcatcher’ from Jack O’Rourke is a masterful and varied collection of songs that sees the Cork man making a notable mark with his debut.

The record kicks off with ‘Nostalgia’ a simple but affecting piano ballad which takes you on a evocative tour of several Cork locations and characters. The tempo is immediately raised with ‘Naivety’ which is one of the early highlights on the album with its rousing chorus of voices.

The album title track sees O’Rourke channelling his inner Arctic Monkey as once the track kicks in it certainly evokes their front man Alex Turner (in one of his smoother incarnations). However, O’Rourke lifts the song to greater heights than even that Sheffield chanteuse could achieve; here as on the rest of the album it’s the strength and depth of his vocal delivery that shines through.

The lead single ‘I’ll Forget You in the Morning’ sits perfectly as the centrepiece of the album with it’s elegant blend of voice, strings and piano. Again O’Rourke stirs things up with ‘Iggy’ which is a real eclectic gem with its glam rock guitar tendencies juxtaposed with clever finger clicking and western saloon piano playing – who knew that combination could work so well?

This constant change in rhythm between tracks is continued for much of the remainder of the album which ensures that your attention never wavers, but how could it with the quality on offer?

The double hander of ‘Small Stuff’ and ‘Settle for Me’ brings ‘Dreamcatcher’ to a highly satisfying close which is appropriate on an album that rewards throughout.

Jack ORourke Dreamcatcher is available via his website and you can catch him live when he play Upstairs in Dolans on Saturday, October 12th.

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