Volta Sounds Paul O'Reilly : first thing in the morning (IR,2001)**°
"I'm just trying to make it home, before it gets dark and the air gets cold" sings Paul O'Reilly on the opening track "Winter" of this impressive debut CD, "First thing in the morning". Very stripped down with acoustic guitars and wispy reflective gentle vocals, this is not a million miles away from the late great Nick Drake in its atmosphere and starkness. The second song, "Beautiful" conjures a repeated finger picked guitar pattern over which a dreamy straight forward declaration of admiration is voiced. Magic ! This magic continues on in "Rise at Dawn", "Birds don't sing", "Here" and "Ties" (where the vocal for a moment is uncannily Drake like). By this time various ambient noises are added to the mix to great effect. "There's a war outside this window, where cars go by" and "every day comes from a last night and every last night comes so we can rest" sings O'Reilly on "So we can rest". Minimal and mellow with ambient noise once more. It's only on the last track, "Pictures" where the percussion is jarringly rudimentary that the project betrays its budget limitations.
Still there's a compelling quality to Paul O'Reilly's songs that draws the listener in, with their quiet reflective melodies and lyrics. At just over half an hour it's an intriguing appetiser to what may follow. Well worth checking out." L.Woolfe
