THERE are still those who think of Paul Brady as a folk singer. Certainly that’s how he made his name as a member of Planxty, but in the Eighties he turned his back on trad, although not his roots.
Coming from County Tyrone, the Troubles were never far from Brady’s mind and his biggest hit, The Island, took on the entrenched and polarised views of both sides. He revisits religious intolerance in Over The Border, the most impassioned song here, and Brady’s plea to “Keep your jihad” is as powerful as anything by Dick Gaughan. But that’s where the resemblance to folk ends.
Hooba Dooba is part funk with a sprinkling of piano ballads and country. A fine example of the latter is Luck Of The Draw which he wrote for Bonnie Raitt. BBC Radio 1 chose it as album of the week and you could do worse than make it yours.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here