[Spotlight Post] Aodan Coyne’s “If We Only Knew” Crosspost
This is a crosspost from Celtic Music Magazine. This one is an lovely Irishman, Aodan Coyne. Coyne plays with Socks in the Frying Pan but is debuting his first solo album.
Aodan Coyne is about to release his first solo album called If We Only Knew which feels like a very traditional, acoustic Irish music project. Coyne spends much of his time performing with Socks in the Frying Pan, but has also taken the time to put together this collection of songs.
According to the liner notes on the CD jacket, he says he chose these particular songs because he believed they were “written with conviction and honesty by the composers”. They were also son “themes which [he] connected with on some level”. Considering Coyne composed two of the tracks himself and arranged all ten tracks – you can feel the personal stake in this album.
These tracks are simple, folk-feeling. There’s no over-processing. No “rock and roll” elements. This is skilled and lovely playing of traditional instruments – guitar, bass, bouzouki and bodhran with added uileann pipes and whistles giving this project that haunting yet lilting sound so associated with Irish music. It does help that one track is actually in either Irish or Gaelic – “Ta Me Mo Shui”. The rest – though no less lovely – are in English.
Coyne’s voice is rich and melodic – and trained. You can tell on “The Wounded Hussar” which is the closest track to a cappella. But I think the track I like most is “If You Only Knew”, which is the last track – composed and arrange by Coyne – with him doing all the vocals. You can hear the Irish lilt in his voice and how skilled he is on the guitar as well.
This may be Coyne’s first solo album, I doubt seriously it’ll be his last – let’s just say, it better not be his last. I’m anticipating a lot more music out this young man.
Artist: Aodan Coyne on Facebook and on YouTube
Buy Album: Release Date is scheduled for Mid-September 2014. Now available during live shows in the US.