Voices

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“Voices” is the fifth studio album from Irish singer-songwriter Peter Doran. The album was awarded an MISP grant to help fund its release. Recorded and Co-produced by Hally at Arthouse Studios in Naas throughout 2019/20, “Voices” features extensive contributions from multi-instrumentalist Lenny Cahill (Piano / Drums / Bass / Organ) and special guest vocals from US Songwriter Haley Heynderickx and Emmett Tinley (The Prayer Boat). String duties were shared by Dublin-based composer/arranger Mary Barnecutt and Peter’s long-term collaborator Gerard Toal.

The songs were written in the six year period since “Outlines”, a time of great change in the songwriter’s life, which saw him marry his long-term partner and muse and move into a 200 year old Farmhouse on the outskirts of Mullingar.

credits

released May 7, 2021

Engineered, recorded and mixed by Hally at Arthouse Studio in Naas, Ireland. With additional recordings by Peter at Oldtown Studio, Rathconrath.

Special thanks to Jennifer McMahon for engineering assistance on >> Ageless Song <<

Co-Produced by Peter Doran & Hally.

Mastered by Kim Rosen at Knack Mastering, NJ, USA.

All songs written by Peter Doran, except >> Lady << written by Peter Doran and Brian Murphy.

Cover Photography by Stuart Hayes.

Graphic Design by Eugen Kern-Emden.

Album Review

Six years have gone by since independent folk artist Peter Doran released his much-praised fourth studio album, Outlines. Since then, the Mullingar native has married his long-term partner and turned his focus towards his latest musical project alongside Hally in Naas’ Arthouse Studios. Voices firmly goes back to the very essence of storytelling, with room for more experimentation.

Opening with soft introductory track ‘Go Slow’, Voices marks itself from the first note as a whirlwind of soporific folk. Inviting violin strings to the fore, Peter Doran’s strong yet malleable vocals bring warmth and comfort to the soul. The likes of ‘Blue Mountains’, ‘Lady’ and ‘None the Wiser’ incorporate elements of country, but the work paints portraits of simple moments between the musician and his loved ones with a uniquely Irish sense of poignancy.

The title track immediately grips the listener, using simple guitar melodies and Doran’s gritty tone to repeat the haunting mantra, ‘Are you hearing voices? Have you been scratching at your skin?’.

Mellow, poetic ballads trace Doran’s altered emotional landscape over the past six years. Lead single ‘Nothing New Under The Sun’ is a highlight, exploring those moments where faith and vision are painfully lacking in one’s life, but ‘Voices’ is a quiet showstopper.

The Westmeath man’s gift for spinning gentle, loving tales through song should earn him deserved recognition, but support on the album from Lenny Cahill (organ, bass, piano, drums), guest vocalists Tinley and Haley Heynderickx as well as and strings from Mary Barnecutt and Gerard Toal are needed.

7/10

- Kate Brayden for Hot Press Magazine