Bill Coleman CD review

Bill Coleman

You Can’t buy back your life

Angela Macari O’Looney



Bill Coleman is an extremely talented musician/songwriter from Co. Cork. I discovered his music at the Arthur Guinness Day Celebrations in Bruxelles during September, when he performed a set, which included songs from his debut album. His style can be described as Rock/Pop/Folk and among his influences are Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, The Cohen Brothers, Jape, Damien Rice and Neil Young.

From the get go his melody lines entice with their catchy quality. He has a clear and pleasant voice, with a good range and electronic riffs involved in most of his songs are delightful. Each has a powerful rhythm, some spectacular guitars, plus Piano to create the perfect backdrop behind Bill’s passionate delivery.

I want you to know

A thumping beat and the sung refrain Oh eh open this upbeat number. It has a choppy verse, with a vibrant baseline and delicious synth too. Lively guitars are an important feature, as are harmonic vocals throughout and in particular I love the sung middle eight. Here, Bill belts out a melodic line that’s repeated and is really effective; if you’ve got something on your mind, you’d better take the time to come and talk about it.

Welcome to the breakdown

Beginning with a pulsating beat and baseline, this number involves some superb electronic notation. Acoustic guitar features too, achieving a lovely blend with the addictive keyboard riffs throughout. The chorus is excellent, percussion adding spark!

Trickling acoustic guitar notes and the verse sung softly create an illusion in False North. This number builds up and eventually becomes a throbbing anthem, with piano featuring for the chorus.

Bill has such a dynamic and commanding voice in this particular track and the whole thing seems to develop, becoming a big crescendo of sound, until it comes to a sudden stark stop.

She Knows

A riff played in octave chords on piano gives the intro to this number definition. The wonderful electronica join in further on and the merging of complex notes and big piano chords together behind Bill’s vocals, lend a unique but memorable beauty. His descriptions are quite imaginative ;She knows she knows I’m all shook up and that is why my cup is drunk, my cup is drunk, cause my heart is parched but I know she’s not the end or start.

Crossfire

Bass is delicious in this track, with yet another magnetic refrain ;Ba da ba da ba ba sung while beautiful notation surrounds it. Throughout the entire song a wonderful electronic riff continues and is truly uplifting.

Your hands were made for working

A slow, soulful ballad, this is a pretty number with a gorgeous melody line. Acoustic guitar notes, harmony in splashes and Bill’s soulful pouring out of the beautiful lyrics are what make it a soothing, enjoyable piece.

Am I still your number one?

A catchy riff behind the vocals for the verse of this song is for me the nicest feature. I love the melody line, the piano which is dramatic and powerful, the beat which is a little different than the previous upbeat songs and the trickling notation, as things build up for the chorus. All of Bill’s songs are equally memorable and each arrangement has lots of interesting chops and changes to delight the senses. I found his live performance outstanding and it’s lovely to experience the songs again on the CD.

The story of how the artwork on the cover of the album came about is really interesting and involves stencils, spray paint in 12 different colours and a lot of personal effort on Bill’s part. That special stamp he puts on his work reflects the unique, but truly appealing nature of his music.

He has been gigging extensively and has a large fanbase, which isn’t at all surprising. Released on October 15th, it has had lots of airplay on prominent radio stations countrywide, and should prove to be a great addition to any music collection.