George Byrne - Foreign Waters

by Jon Fletcher

The reason teachers give separate marks for effort and achievement

"It’s as though Byrne believes that intimate picking and the sound of calloused fingers on steel strings are all that are needed to make his musings worthy of note"

George Byrne has been likened to an Australian Ryan Adams. It’s is a fair comparison in so much as both are capable guitarists with passable voices, but Byrne lacks Adams’ vitality and pays for it dearly.

Sure, there are some passable, even likeable tracks here – the harmonised chorus of ‘Paralysed’, the breathy swish of 'Up In Ova' and the hoarse melancholy of ‘Already There’ are all perfectly pleasant. But then, not having the odd moment of inspiration on an album that lasts just shy of an hour would be a dubious accomplishment indeed.

Elsewhere, it’s as though Byrne believes that intimate picking and the sound of calloused fingers on steel strings are all that are needed to make his musings worthy of note. When he manages to inject some depth into his vocals on ‘High & Wide’, he has to shout rather than sing and the strain is audible. For the remainder, he flops around in the vocal lowlands, comfortable but unremarkable.

In fairness, the album does improve in its closing stages. 'Up In Ova' is genuinely moving, while the harmonica on closer 'Paint It Grey' compliments a mischieviously catchy chorus that sounds as though Byrne is making it up as you listen. And bizarrely, the simplest of repeated guitar refrains - just a few notes - and a real escalation in mood makes the unnamed hidden track that follows 'Paint It Grey' one of the album's most rewarding.

Ultimately though, ‘Foreign Water’ spends too much time wandering into featureless instrumental interludes, failing to build sufficient momentum elsewhere to carry us through these dry patches. Byrne seems to have mistaken quirky whimsy for quality and in so doing, has squandered the ample emotional content of his songs amidst acres of bland nothingness.

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