Paddy Casey – Addicted To Company, Part 1

Back in the day, I really loved another album by this guy, called Amen (So Be It), which is a funny title for a first record. Should be a last record’s title, ya know? Anyway. Amen should have been reviewed in these pages, not sure why it wasn’t. Must get on that. I always thought of that record as a cross between Beck, David Gray and Bob Dylan. Yeah, I know. And, never looking him up since, I’d just assumed that that was his only record. Honestly, I’d forgotten all about him. But I was pleasantly surprised to find this effort in the $2.95 bin (sorry, dude), so I have given it a good home. Wikipedia also tells me there was another (interim) record called Living, as well, so I’ll have to find it.

This record is thoughtful, at times playful and full of background creativity. There’s a bit of flirtation with that old soul sensibility, too. Just like his first record. It’s very pleasant to listen to, mostly mid-tempo singer-songwriter stuff that would work equally well on a stage with a band or busking with an acoustic guitar (as he used to do) on a street corner somewhere in Dublin. The tracks Fear and It’s Over Now reappear here (in different form) from that first record. Why someone would do that so early into a career, unless they were trying to hammer home that they really hope these songs would be the ones that take off, is beyond me. Whatever. This is a fun record if you’re in the mood for exactly what I just described. You could do a lot worse with most of the crap that’s out there, trust me. Hope there’s a Part 2 of this, someday. Recommended.