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A New Season For Love
Cormac O Caoimh released "A New Season For Love" April 27th. The first single "A New Season For Love" was released March 16th. And the second single from the cd "Remember when we didnt kiss" reached no 1 in the itunes download charts for Ireland.
The cd has received an enormous amount of super postitive lovely reviews. Snippets of those are immedlately below and you can read more of each of them further down. Links to the full reviews are also available. There are also some live reviews.
Songs from the cd have been played on BBC, BBC Ulster, RTE, 96fm, BCR and a host of others and countless internet radio shows and stations. And it is also now beginning to appear on "Best Of" lists for 2012 including a worldwide top 5 and a few Irish top 10s.
A New Season For Love - REVIEWS
Summary
"Beautiful beyond words" - Mutant Space
"Feels as if you’re wrapped up in your warmest coat glimpsing some vast and beautiful landscape through the condensation laden windows" - Tom Robinson (BBC) 's Fresh on the net site
"Leaves you feeling that all can be right with the world" - Fatea Magazine
"There is true magic here" - Folk Words
"like a rich mahogany, warm and beautiful..layered and lush...a comforting feeling" - Secret Agent Mel"
"Intimate vocals, poetic and evocative lyrics and exquisitely crafted melodies-all beautifully framed within his flawless acoustic guitar work"
- The Las Angelas Beat
"Songs which speak to the subconscious and have a comfortable place in the psyche" - Drop-d
"I challenge you not to be charmed...A new season for love is an accomplished album which wears its sombre mood lightly, with pleasing pop colours." - We are noise
"A perfect album. Sublime songs. Beautiful moments" Acoustic Review
"Counting the Raindrops’, the 10th song is, in my opinion, the best song on the album and indeed one of the best songs to come out of Ireland over the last 10 years. This is to me the perfect song and ranks along the best of them even alongside Galileo and some of Cohen’s evergreens." - Musicians Together
"His voice is a wonderfully expressive instrument..the result is a cohesive and excellent album" - Leonard's Lair
"The album is a treasure trove of song. A class act. A class record" -MRU
“mature and intelligent and the albums natural feel gives it a worthy intimacy” - Hot Press
"a sweet melody of delicately written songs that soothe the soul" - Celebrity Cafe
"Perfection lies within its quietude" - Scully Love Promo
"His voice is so soft and tender. His music is really going to calm you down. Highly recommended" - Entertainment Divaz
"a lulling voice in the realm of Nick Drake, with lyrics that whisper of love and lost things and friendship, quiet poetry, weaving through a gentle Jazz vibe. .. an album full of delights, perfect for those mellower moments of dreaming." - Dungarvan Observer
"perfect as a soundtrack to a lazy Summer day. Impressive stuff!" - To U I Bestow
"The craft at work here is of a rare quality" - File Under Good Music
"I think you will be impressed" - Cork Independent
"O’Caoimh’s voice is flawless delivering songs of undoubted maturity" - Claire Kane
"seeps into your heart rendering you speechless with emotions" - Celtic Music Fan
"A haven for acoustic folk goodness. Lyrically sophisticated. Perfect chillout music" - Show me something different
Larger quotes and links to full reviews and LIVE REVIEWS
1. TOM ROBINSON (War Babies/BBC) 's Fresh on the Net site
Mixing folk with an underlying jazz sensibility, there is a dreamy feel to the vocals with vivid and magical lyrics to match. The sound is incredibly intimate; every vocal inflection, every breath, every creak of an instrument is heard. It almost feels as if you’re in the room, wrapped up in your warmest coat with the music echoing around you, glimpsing some vast and beautiful landscape through the condensation laden windows
2. MUTANT SPACE
This debut album is incredibly slow moving but is also beautiful beyond words. Though his sighing, world weary voice is immediately identifiable, he also proves to be an excellent guitar picker on songs such as album opener ‘there’s gold there somewhere’ and ‘remember when we didn’t kiss’, while lushly baroque string arrangements are provided on other tracks throughout which add another layer of loveliness to the album. Clever lyrical content and carefully constructed music will not disappoint. Wise and poetic lyrics are almost a match for his mournful, yet hopeful music. There is a definite poetic elegance that is even more impressive when you consider that this is the second album from O Caoimh, that so many artists become stinted on. Not her, as the songs run seamlessly into the next. Sublime
Visit the Mutant space site to see the full review here
3. FATEA MAGAZINE
I described Cormac O Caoimh's new album "A New Season For Love" as being as mellow as a rusty nail, but 140 characters weren't enough to give the explaination. If the album were a drink, the whiskey would provide the complex notes, the distinctness of the songs as they draw subtle meaning out of the flavour of the words, blending with the sweet honeyed tones of the Darmbuie to deliver an album that has an underlying strength in the harmonies and leaves you feeling that all can be right with the world. In non drinks terms, Cormac O Caoimh knows how to set a mood.
Visit the Releases section of fatea-magazine.co.uk to see the article
4. FOLK WORDS
Sometime front-man of The Citadels, Cormac O Caoimh has released his second solo album - ‘A New Season for Love’. It’s a mellow wander through songs from the acoustic finger-picking, guitar-influenced mind of a man that writes soothing music for quiet introspection and words of poignant inspiration. These are songs that calm the bustle of the day and convey their listeners to some tranquil place of serenity.
Cormac delivers his carefully crafted lyrics with an unhurried, hushed and breathy style that enhances the muted presence of each song. There’s a suspicion of familiarity about his voice, and that’s because it’s so easy to identify with the emotions he conjures.
The more you listen to his songs the deeper you fall under their spell – from the sparsely precise ‘A New Season for Love’ through the delicate strings and softly expressed vocals of ‘And the Rain Falls’ and ‘Remember When We didn’t Kiss’ to the deep seated enchantment of ‘Perfect Mistress for a King’ – for there is true magic here.
Visit the Folk words site to see the full review here
5. FILE UNDER GOOD MUSIC
A New Season For Love is instantly a mood changing album. Heavily reliant on the time of day and the place you press play as its as mellow as they come. Easily invoking Nick Drake's soothing vocals and echoes of Elliott Smith. The songs blend effortlessly together. With just his voice, piano and guitar throughout the album, one would hardly notice as the craft at work here is of a rare quality. Not to mention his stunning and quite sublime vocal efforts, which will ultimately be the deciding factor as to who will like and who will not this record. A bit like Marmite; It may not be everyones cup of tea as Nick Drake was not, but for those who like a strong brew; it will surely impress..
Visit the File Under Good Music site to see the full review here
6. CORK INDEPENDENT
His new album, ‘A New Season for Love’ is a natural evolution from its predecessor, ‘Start a Spark’. Those familiar with Cormac’s earlier solo work will be immediately at home. Backing himself on acoustic guitar and employing the talents of Art O’Laoire on keyboards, and Eoghan Regan on electric guitar, the arrangements are lush enough to be evocative, yet sparse enough to allow the main melody and lyrics to shine through.
The album works on a couple of levels . As chillout music, it’s effective and inobtrusive. This would be near the top of my CD pile if I was about to undertake a long drive on a busy road. To dismiss it as easy listening would be a crime however – the lyrics merit deeper scrutiny:
“Remember when we didn’t kiss
Our eyes caressed instead of
Lips on lips”
The music, to my mind, has matured since Cormac’s last outing. Always a deft fingerstyle guitarist, this time around he explores new chords and progressions, and the album is infused with hints of Spanish in places, and some songs have an almost jazzy feel.
The themes are timeless – love, crisis, uncertainty, but Cormac puts his own spin on them all. His breathy, intimate delivery tinged with the merest hint of a Cork accent sits comfortably in a nicely executed mix. The tracks haven’t been mercilessly processed – the occasional hint of sibilance, breath noise, fret buzz and squeak are left as is, and the mix is the better for it.
Cormac tells me that the album will soon be released, and he’ll be touring it by late February/early March. If you’ve not seen him before, check him out – I think you’ll be impressed.
Visit the Cork Independent site to see the full review here
7. CLAIRE KANE
‘A new season for love’ is a delicate twelve track album. ‘Grow up, be good’ is one of the more intriguing tracks on the album, with its mysterious and lamenting lyrics coupled with perfectly entwined guitar and piano, it is a wonderful song to listen to when relaxing.
O’Caoimh’s voice is flawless throughout, maintaining its soft and somewhat husky tone when delivering these songs of undoubted maturity. It would seem that the singer-songwriter has collected a lot of influence from both the outside world, and the music industry, as each song varies from folk to a light jazz sound, putting forth the wisdom he has gathered over the years. Particularly attention grabbing is the beautiful ‘counting the raindrops’, possibly the most tender track, on the generally tender album. There is something warming about his vocals on this track, that makes it seem as though he singing directly to the listener.
The jazz elements make it stand out among the majority of Ireland’s acoustic guitar wielding songwriters. It is the ideal de-stress album, with nothing alarming or disturbing; just pure and simple music, with meaningful and moving lyrics.
Visit the Claire Kanes music blog site to see the full review here
8. Leonard's Lair
From the off – courtesy of ‘There’s Gold There Somewhere’ – the mood is relaxed and blessed with a similar rainy day atmosphere to Ben Watt’s ‘North Marine Drive’. To bring up a modern day reference, the effortless melancholia of Kings Of Convenience can be heard in the title track too.
However, to make these (albeit favourable) comparisons only scratches the surface, O’Caoimh sounds more comfortable now than ever. ‘And The Rain Falls’ and ‘Head On’ are beautifully tender folk songs but even they are bettered by the heartfelt ’100,000′. ‘Heart Attack’ makes a convincing bid for a bluesier Nick Drake whilst ‘Just Love Here’ is a romantic and touching closer.
A criticism of O’Caoimh might be that he tried too hard on past releases but here he keeps things simple and the result is a cohesive and excellent album. What is more, his voice is a wonderfully expressive instrument.
Visit Leonard's Lair to see the full review here
9. We are noise - Conor O Toole
An album of deceptively unassuming folk songs, anchored by the hushed, well-worn voice of ex-Citadels frontman and Cork native O Caoimh, backed with sparse but warm tones of keyboard and electric guitar by Art O’Laoire and Eoghan Regan, backing perfectly sympathetic to the semi-samba of O’Caoimh’s fingerpicked guitar rhythms. At times, the album comes on like a downbeat John Spillane transported to sunnier climes. But there’s an airy, lyrical quality to the songwriting, compared to Spillane’s earthy realism.
In fact, stargazing themes recur throughout the twelve songs (“reconfigure the stars” in ‘A new season for love’, “crimson-coloured wishes felt like all the shooting stars I must have missed” in ‘Remember when we didn’t kiss’). That, and the inclusion of a full lyric sheet on the sleeve, show certain poetic leanings – at the risk of cliché, “wordsmith” would not be out of place. I challenge you not to be charmed to bits by, for example, the beautiful piano-guitar ballad ‘100,000’ (its self-questioning tone also makes it a prime candidate for one of those Jekyll & Hyde R’nB makeovers), or the breezy swing of the title track.
A new season for love is an accomplished album which wears its sombre mood lightly, with pleasing pop colours. Recommended.
Visit the 'we are noise' site to see the full review here
10. Scully Love Promo
Its sound is one of simple, stripped down production with only keyboards and guitars, but perfection lies within its quietude. As warm and sweet as a tumbler of fine cognac on a cold winter’s eve, A New Season For Love is unabashedly romantic, soothing and sensual with its classical acoustic guitar, poetic lyrics, and dulcet, cashmere vocals. The significant thing about O Caoimh’s voice is that it doesn’t immediately remind you of anyone else, even though it has been said that his sound would complement records by Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and Damien Rice.
If someone were to ask me why I love Irish singer-songwriters so much, I’d give them this CD to listen to as my answer. A thinking woman’s songwriter, every song in Cormac’s collection not only evokes introspection, but a primal longing for the earthly elements of love, understanding and human contact that makes it irresistible to this quixotic heart. Charmed isn’t the word…seduced…perhaps. Losing yourself in hushed, hypnotic tracks like “There’s Gold There Somewhere”, “100,000”, “Counting The Raindrops”, “Herculean Sky”, “Remember When We Didn’t Kiss”, and “Perfect Mistress For A King” (the last two being my favourites) will make your heart sigh with their lyrical splendor and earnest desire.
If you’re looking for a CD to spin when you need a blanket of tranquility or to stimulate your passion, A New Season For Love is the perfect choice. Buy it. Seriously…just buy it.
Visit the Scully Love Promo site to see the full review here
11. Musicians Together
There is a mystical Celtic quality about the whole album as well as a significant Jazz influence in many of the songs. This is an album for contemplation and reflection. The songs are gentle and laid back and the album would fit honourably alongside a Cohen or a Rice collection or indeed Van Morrison in his more reflective compositions. The gentleness and laid back delivery are enhanced by Cormac’s soft vocal style and the finger picking classical guitar playing. The arrangements are simple and uncomplicated and this appears to be deliberate as it forces you to concentrate on each song in all their naked glory, and the songs are what this album is all about. No fancy overdone arrangements to hide an otherwise weak lyric or melody here, and there are no weak songs on this album. The songs are for the most part gentle ballads, musically and lyrically very strong. Some of them are little gems, real works of art, complete in themselves and yet each one an essential component to the overall artistic wholeness of the album. ‘Counting the Raindrops’, the 10th song is, in my opinion, the best song on the album and indeed one of the best songs to come out of Ireland over the last 10 years. Watch Cormac perform this Live on video on MT. This is to me the perfectsong and ranks along the best of them even alongside Galileo and some of Cohen’s evergreens.
Visit the Musicians Together site to see the full review here
12. Dungarvan Observer & Medicine Sessions Music site
Do you like walking in nature, headphones on, being encased in a soundtrack for each step? Or maybe you enjoy dusk with an open fire, a window revealing the changing sky while a warm woolly jumper of a song eases away the day? You might be inclined to dozing on wet Sunday afternoons in your favourite armchair, slipping in and out of the lyrics and soft voice of a poet? Perhaps you just love your folk music of the individual nature, full of space, guitar or piano played slow with skipping top notes, a lulling voice in the realm of Nick Drake, with lyrics that whisper of love and lost things and friendship, quiet poetry, weaving through a gentle Jazz vibe. If so, you will benefit greatly from a dose of Cormac O’Caoimh. The former front man of The Citadels’ new album, “A New Season For Love” is due for release April 28th, with the title track available for download right now on i-tunes. It promises to be an album full of delights, perfect for those mellower moments of dreaming.
Visit the Medicine Sessions site to read the full article
13. Entertainment Divaz (Music site from Slovenia and Croatia)
You can listen to his songs on SoundCloud. I highly recommend them to you. His voice is so soft and tender. In some songs the guitar sound reminds me of the harp. His music is really going to calm you down.
Visit the To Edivaz music blog site to see the full review here
14. To U I Bestow
A New Season For Love .. "is full of slow burning mellow jazz influenced tunes which would suit most rainy afternoons sitting by a log fire!"
Visit the To U I Bestow music blog site to see the full review here
15. Hot Press
“For his second album, Cormac O Caoimh has linked with former Citadels playmates Art O Laoire (keyboards) and Eoghan Regan (electric guitar). They provide sparse backing that doesn’t intrude on O Caoimh’s assured finger-picking....There’s a warm gentility running through tracks like ‘There’s Gold There Somewhere’ and the Spanish-inflected ‘Counting The Raindrops’. The title track and ‘Herculean Sky’ have a a jazz-lite jauntiness. O Caoimh’s lyrics are mature and intelligent and the albums natural feel gives it a worthy intimacy”
Buy the current Hot Press (20/04/2012) to read the full review
16. Celebrity Cafe
Cormac O Caoimh delivers a sweet melody of delicately written songs that soothe the soul and relax the mind.The finger-picking of O Caoimh’s acoustic guitar provides a delicate balance of rhythm and soul, combined with the soft vocal-styling’s of O Caoimh’s voice. The album delivers a sense of comfort behind each tune.The use of imagery in the lyrics is a theme throughout the album that cements the folksy style that O Caoimh delivers. His lyrics are a storyteller’s verse. The music guides the listener through a fairytale of stars and skies. Each song is as whimsical as the next.The former Citadels singer displays his true musical genius on the track “And the rain falls.” The fast-paced picking of his acoustic guitar is reminiscent of the Beatles tune, “Blackbird." The lyrics are captivating. In its entirety, A New Season For Love is a beautiful collection of Irish folk sounds that please from beginning to end.
Visit the Celebrity Cafe site to see the full review here
17. Medecine Sessions - Live Review
Cormac O’Caoimh began the night, gently weaving a hush over the room with his beautifully rendered tunes. There is something magical about watching a lone artist lose himself in his performance and the ability to do so is the magic ingredient that arrests an audience. Excellent finger picking on his electric nylon string guitar, combined with the occasional use of a ‘stomp’ box and loop pedal, created a sound perfectly complimented by his mellow vocals, which themselves, contained an emotive nuance in their delivery. Cormac performed songs from his new album ‘A New Season For Love’ an object well worth hunting out on itunes.
Visit the Medecine Sessions site to see the full review here
18. Mutant Space- Live Review
Cormac started the night, expertly delivering his brand of mellow folk magic to the room, hypnotizing all present with a voice that creeps easily to the ear. He performed songs from his soon to be released album ‘A New Season For Love’. I have compared Cormac’s music to a warm woolly jumper, of the angora type, in muted earthy colours, worn by a loose-haired girl in fading light meadows. Whatever analogy you use for Cormac’s music, it can only be a beautiful one!
Visit the Mutant Space site to see the full review here
19. To U I Bestow - Single Review
Cormac O'Caoimh on his new album and with this single proves that 'Irish Music' covers the full spectrum of genres. There's a lovely charming jazzy feel to 'A New Season of Love' which is perfect as a soundtrack to a lazy Summer day. Impressive stuff!
Visit the To U I Bestow site to see the full review here
20. Drop-d
From the opening track on the album A Season For Love by Cormac O’Caoimh,There’s Gold Somewhere I found myself instantly relaxing while listening to the beautiful melodies created by the sounds of the guitar and keyboards that are present. This set the tone for the entire album and I have seldom found myself so in tune with an album on first listen.
O’Caoimh is talented and knows how to write songs which speak to the subconscious and have a comfortable place in the psyche.
Visit the Drop-d site to see the full review here
21. Secret Agent Mel
As I played this album, the main thought that kept coming to mind was, how warming it was. It may sound strange, but I heard this album as a colour as I listened to it over and over again - I thought, this album is like a rich mahogany, warm and beautiful. I continued to feel like I was being transported to a room filled with candles, tapestries, and warm woods....and me curled up on a velvet couch, sipping a cuppa - a comforting feeling.
I would call this a 'listening album', meaning if you're looking for those kind of songs that quickly grab your attention through simple lyrics or catchy hooks, this may not be the album for you. However, if you give the album the attention that I think it deserves, I believe it has a lot to offer. My favourite song is 'Counting the Raindrops', the song that I first fell in love with, it continues to be a stand out for me, but with each listen of this album new songs emerge as strong contenders. The songs, 'And the Rain Falls' and 'Remember When We Didn't Kiss' are also some of my top picks. The album is filled with songs beautiful in their instrumentation, layered and lush.
22. Celtic Music Fan
Like water color painting still running and moist, the music of Cormac O Caoimh seeps into your heart rendering you speechless with emotions. His classical guitar style combined with other influences is a joy to listen to. It makes you feel filled up, like you’ve just eaten a good meal. The spiritual nourishment that his music imbues is no accident.
There is a balance of musical precision and inventiveness that pull you up from the introspective lyrics that at times seem to overpower you with sadness. His voice is a fine instrument. I like the kind of ease he puts in singing like he is talking to you-almost intimately, close to your ears so there is no need to sing loudly …but rather in a breathy style. The transparency of the vocals and the gossamer arrangement make A New Season for Love a truly luminous listening experience.
23. The Las Angelas Beat...Review & Interview
Cormac O’ Caoimh is an exciting, singularly brilliantsinger-songwriter and classical guitarist from Cork, Ireland. He has just released his second solo cd ‘A New Season for Love’, His intimate vocals, poetic and evocative lyrics andexquisitely crafted melodies-all beautifully framed within his flawless acoustic guitar work-is attracting the attention of the music press, djs and an ever-growing audience.
24. Mode Music - Live Review
I saw Cormac O Caoimh tonight and man was he amazing...smooth and catchy vocals...intoxicating story telling and melodically pleasing......his new music is exciting and refreshing...
25. MRU- Live Review ***** 5 start review
Jazz polarizes opinions: you either love it or you hate it, but when it is blended with pop, especially as expertly as this album does, opinions move toward the centre and things become more interesting. When A New Season for Love came out in April this year it received glowing reviews and rightly so: Cormac O’ Caoimh is a class act and this is a class record.
There is a warmth and candour to his music and lyrics, a sweet, catchy melodiousness that is irresistible. The album is a treasure trove of song. It is brimming with musicality, the vocals forming a sweet counterpoint to the guitar and piano. O’ Caoimh’s voice is quiet and intimate in a jazzy way.
There’s an optimistic, uplifting feel to much of the music and lyrics but there is also somberness and bitter sweetness but it’s all good. People need music, especially in these troubled times – they need to be transported to another place and this album delivers with quiet ease. An excellent piece of work.
26. Acoustic Review
Cormac is former front man of The Citadels and has progressed into an accomplished solo artist. This is a perfect album for those who like their music smooth and polished. There are sublime songs and many beautiful moments. The guitar work varies from trad folk to jazz-funk and the soft vocals are often dreamy, Paddy McAloon territory. Standout numbers for me are Remember When We Didn’t Kiss, Counting The Raindrops and the title track. This album is lightly produced with some fine finger-picking and rambling piano work. The whole effect is warm, calming, tender and poetic; you can listen closely or just let it drift over you. Gold Star class
27. Pat Coldrick - Virtuoso Classical Guitarist & Composer
I had the pleasure of meeting Cormac and listening to his wonderful style of music on Friday night. He definitely has something honest and soulfull in his voice and lyrics, one to watch out for!
28. Show me something different
"A haven for acoustic folk goodness. Lyrically sophisticated with plenty of stories to tell like a constant mother figure who takes you through an earthy journey through tales of old. A New Season For Love is piano based, as is 100,000. The title track resembles an indie classic by The Smiths with a droney atmosphere and is altogether relaxing. 100,000 has a catchy poppy rhythm and Cormac does a lot of musing in the track. The sparseness brings about a kind of euphoria which is visible on other tracks too, such as Heart Attack. Mellow to the point of lullaby is something that is stimulated a lot on the album and it is in fact the ideal cure for insomnia. The “rain” songs And The Rain Falls and Counting The Raindrops are pieces of art, in terms of the images they paint. Perfect chill out music "
Cormac O Caoimh uses
RedBear Picks, Godin Guitars, Schertler amps & Logjam Stompers
