Michael Brunnock
So I do
© 2007 Michael Brunnock (692863125428)
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Contemporary folk rock, lyrically charged, Niel Young meets ColdPlay on a bus while on vacation in Ireland. The bus driver plays the banjo.
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Michael Brunnock - "So I Do"
By Pete Olshansky
"How do I explain my awkwardness?" Michael Brunnock sings on 'Shine,' a track from his solo debut album "So I Do." But there is nothing awkward about the album. 'Acoustic,' 'folk,' and 'Irish' are all words that have been used to describe Michael's music and while not necessarily wrong, they hardly scratch the surface of describing what is truly a fresh and unique album. From the moment the drums kick in on the opening track, music lovers will know that they are listening to something special.
Swirling banjos, acoustic guitar and lush strings lay the framework for the album, while Michael's vocals vacillate between delicate and assertive. In spite of of the instrumentation, "So I Do" isn't what one would call 'world music.' Nevertheless Michael's Irish heritage does creep out on tracks like "Fallen Leaves" and "Born Again" which feature fiddles that will make you swear you've just arrived in Dublin. The latter, a foot-thumping lyrical manifesto that criticizes organized religion, is so charged with energy that to call it impressive would just be lazy. Another track, "Man Overboard" (which features Jenna Nicholls on backing vocals) is so well crafted that its hook will undoubtedly get stuck in your head after one listen.
Having been the former frontman of the bands "The Van Winkles" and "Little Palace," Michael is no stranger on the scene. He definitely comes into his own on this disc though, showing a tremendous amount of growth as a musician. "So I Do" is exceptional, for sure. Awkward? Anything but.
Michael Brunnock was born in Ireland .He now lives in NYC.
"I tried potato picking, bartending, biochemistry, zoology, microbiology, math, and teaching math for a few years, cooking and bartending again."Tough ways to make a living I thought, when your heart is in music". "So I do" is new, to be released on June 10th 2007. I hope it makes me some money.
Otherwise I'll be cutting my nails and going back picking potatoes for Benji Dunne in Carnaross. Can you imagine? I have responsibilities ye know?
My previous records with Little Palace are available here and on itunes. Check out the reviews
Lots of love
Michael b
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Awesome~
author: JoleneI can hardly wait for another masterpiece from this guy. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather spend my hard earned money.
The best in his genre!
author: Natalie HermanOne does not simply listen to a Michael Brunnock song – one experiences it. Michael Brunnock's songs, while pleasingly smooth and unobtrusive, somehow refuse to remain "background music," and they pull the listener in to their ephemeral existence. So it is with _So I Do._ Mournful without being sad. Emotional without being "emo". Evocative without being self-indulgent. I first heard "Fallen Leaves," about four months ago, and before the song was even complete, I knew that I had to become familiar with the entire music catalog of this artist whose name I did not yet know. More than a hundred listens later, "Fallen Leaves" is both completely ingrained in my mind and brand-new simultaneously. Each listen is as the first; the string solo employed in lieu of a bridge held me captive, and when the drums returned with brilliant force, I found myself struggling to catch the breath that I didn't even realize I was holding for the past four measures. Michael Brunnock's performance is straight-forward and unassuming. However, don't be fool enough to dismiss this artist as a simple countryman; his lyrics reveal an intelligent and well-educated man behind his gentle melodies. Listen carefully and you will hear literary allusions, complex metaphors, and well-placed puns along with political commentary and disdain for mindless militancy. "Little Boy Blue," perhaps the most political song in his repertoire, is also the most evocative. It employs strong imagery both lyrically and musically – one can almost picture the small orchestra backing him as he sings his complex simplicities. "Dance to the Wind" is a beautiful piece which displays both Brunnock's impressive vocal diversity and his imaginative lyric writing; the anthropomorphic song is told from the point of view of a wise old tree in a tale reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. Not to be dismissed as a minstrel, Brunnock pulls "Born Again" and "Niagara Falls" from up his sleeve, showing that he can rock with the best of them. Jenna Nichols's backing vocals on "Man Overboard" and "Breastplate" both blend with and complement Brunnock's voice seamlessly. Nichols's airy vocals at the end of the penultimate of the original tunes somehow punctuate the mood of the album. Michael Brunnock revamps "Secret," a powerful song from his days with Little Palace, to round out the CD, convincingly evidencing that he is fully capable as a solo artist. One would be hard-pressed to find a more well-pieced collection of songs that satisfy both the spirit and the intellect. _So I Do_ does so both humbly and almost with a shrug. Brunnock is not out to please anyone with his offering – it is clearly a labour of love.