Tadhg Cooke
Wax & Seal
© 2005 Tadhg Cooke (5099386245421)
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Debut album from one of Ireland's most interesting emerging recording artists. "Eminently likeable, utterly enviable" **** - The Irish Times.
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"Eminently likeable, utterly enviable" **** - The Irish Times
"a confident impressive debut" - HotPress
"a small sensation!" - TagesZeitung, Germany
www.tadhgcooke.com
www.myspace.com/tadhgcooke
Tadhg Cooke is one of Irelands most interesting emerging recording artists. A seasoned performer, Cooke has shared the stage with the cream of the Irish crew - Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, Mundy, Mark Geary, Damien Dempsey, Gerry Fish and The Walls. He has also completed a nationwide tour with BellX1. Cooke's “confident impressive debut” (HotPress), Wax & Seal, was well received in Ireland and led to a host of TV appearances, national and local radio sessions and excellent press coverage throughout 2005. The twelve-track debut features buoyant lyrics, that remain at arm's length from melancholia, realised by unique gentle vocals. Cooke's jazz-tinged acoustic pop has been described as “eminently likeable, utterly enviable” by The Irish Times.
For more information visit his website and get the full story.
SOME REVIEWS
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Comparisons can be odious, but think Badly Drawn Boy crossed with Gallagher & Lyle, with a tincture of John Lennon tossed in for good measure, and permit yourself the wryest of smiles. Tadhg Cooke's solo debut crisscrosses so many terrains that your musical compass may quiver with the sheer magnetic challenge of Wax & Seal. It's the sleight of hand in his wordplay that charms. A computational linguist, Cooke gets his kicks by applying a distinctly poetic sensibility to the music: placing the right words in the right order. George's St Arcade is the stuff of magical maudlin bedsitland; Sparks is drawn from the same word well as Arthur Riordan's Improbable Frequency. Eminently likeable, utterly enviable.
"Wax & Seal" review - Siobhán Long, The Irish Times (The Ticket), 18th March 2005
So Saturday begins, again at The Olympia, this time with Tadhg Cooke. Cooke's voice immediately grabs you. Soft yet strong, it's got that Jeff Buckley quality to it that most vocalists crave. Given a fair wind, he could soon be looking to headline this venue next year.
HWCH Festival Review : Steve Cummins, Hot Press, Vol 29 No 18 21/09/2005
"his highly assured debut album "Wax & Seal" sounds as far removed from the beardy brigade of po-faced strummers as Pablo Aimar's deft touches are from the journeymen footballers of, say, West Brom. Thankfully, it's also a refreshingly cliché-free zone.
Take album standout "I Know You Hate Me", a post break-up song par excellence, where far from lamenting the loss of his one true love, our hero is rubbing her nose in the fact that he's moved on, with a chorus that most would-be troubadors would trade their broken hearts for: "I got a new love breaking me in / helps me forget about the way I've been".
Unlike many songwriters, Cooke can do happy as well as melancholy: the joyous "Live What You Feel" wangles free from the stranglehold of earnestness to soar into seriously celebratory airspace.
"Wax & Seal" is a confident, impressive debut that's best summed up by Cooke himself, on the gorgeous "Like A Stone": "I don't believe your stories / I can't believe your truths / But you're sweetly infectious / And it's hard to stay aloof".
"Wax & Seal" album review - John Walshe, HotPress, Vol 29, No 5, 23rd Mar 2005
"Cooke's unique brand of shimmering rock"
"Cooke does a neat line in understated emotive acoustic rock, and this EP is gilded with intimacy and introspection"
"success and acclaim is very much his for the taking. "
"George's St Arcade" single review - Tanya Sweeney, HotPress, Vol 29, No 2, 9th Feb 2005
The big discovery of the evening is the phenomenal songwriter Tadhg Cooke from Ireland... His dreamy songs that float between melancholy and wit are acoustic pop pearls with a breath's touch of jazz, sung with a velvet voice to a virtuoso guitar, indeed a small sensation!
TZ (TagesZeitung), Bayern, Germany - review of Heppel & Ettlich gig, Munich.
"Our favourite new singer/songwriter"
Miriam O'Callaghan, "Saturday Night with Miriam", RTE1 TV Chat Show, 13th Aug 2005.
Tadhg Cooke is thankfully a little different. The young Meathman's soft dreamy compositions are driven by lyrics that are consistently arresting and thought-provoking. And instead of being yet another dreary exercise in introspection, Wax & Seal is a vibrant album with a poetic sensibility and a keen eye for life's absurdities. There's more than enough fine songs on this impressive debut to suggest that he's got a big future ahead of him.
Album review - Andrew Lynch, Entertainment.ie
You can become engrossed in Tadhg Cooke's songs or simply listen to the low key, but refreshingly individual voice.
Badische Zeitung, Baden Würtenberg, Germany - Lukas Meyer Blankenburg
Wax & Seal fuses Van Morrison-esque syncopations (minus the ramblings thankfully) with poignant yet often-uplifting melodies instantly reminiscent of Paul Simon and John Martyn. But the album's 12 tracks represent 12 vastly different fusions : moving from the sexy swing of Roadmap to the funkier, dirtier sound of Monochrome.
DIT Independent - album review - Fiona Scally
reviews
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'Cooke'ing up something good
author: JimDeep and moving, soft and soothing. Tadhg, thanks for something real.
Excellent
author: Paul HicksI cannot remove this CD from my player. Been there for a week now. I heard a song on XM radio and found him via google on the internet. This is one of the top CDs in my 2500+ collection.
Pleasently surprised
author: Tom AmersonI had not heard of this group before and as a 50 some-thing guy, wasn't really sure this was for me. What a wonderful surprise! Music of this excellence transends age and gender! Listened to it twice and then loaned it to a friend, now I can't get it back!! Buying another will be a pleasure too! Thanks for all the hard work folks, it was well worth it. Tom
Awesome!
author: CKBuy it! You will not be disappointed! 5 stars to EACH of the 12 songs! Amazing voice, amazing lyrics, amazing talent.
loving the mellow tones
author: michellegotta love "know you hate me" , chilled out summer sound
Just Brilliant!
author: JohnoAll I can say is that I stumbled across TADGH COOKE at the hard working class hero festival in dublin 2005 and i truly have to say, this is easily one of the most enjoyable albums I have bought in a long time. Cant say anymore than that except - take a chance and BUY IT!!!!
in nur zehn wörtern ist diese CD kaum zu beschreiben...
author: anicaDiese CD sollte nicht unterschätzt werden. So ist sie mitreißend, gefühlvoll geschrieben und schön. Außerdem verfügt sie über viel Talent und die stilvolle Zusammensetzung der einzelnen Lieder spricht für sich... durch die große Vielseitigkeit, besonders auch im instrumentalen Bereich, hört man sich diese CD gerne an und kann sich dem angehnehmen Klang hingeben!
Well worth the money!
author: Irish Radio Program, Brisbane, AustraliaExcellent CD, well written lyrics, great tunes. Among the myriad of Irish singer/songwriters Tadhg Cooke is right up at the top with the best of them. I've had the CD a while now and it's one that still gets regular spins on the CD player!
If you like Sufjan Stevens, you'll enjoy Tadhg Cooke.
author: Doug KresseIf you enjoy Sufjan Stevens, you'll like Tadhg Cooke. This Irish artist is one of the best new acts of the year. Great voice. Great lyrics.
WAX & SEAL: Tadhg Cooke figured out the Formulae
author: JenniAls ich Tadhg zum ersten Mal in einer Schwarzwaldhuette Songs von Van Morrison, Paul Simon und Joni Mitchell spielen hoerte, war es um mich geschehen. Es war klar, dass diese Stimme etwas Besonderes war und sein Talent weit ueber "Lagerfeuer-Geklampfe" hinausreichen musste. Das Album "Wax and Seal" wurde durch das Jahr 2004 produziert und im Verlauf dessen wurde sehr bald offensichtlich, dass sich der erste Verdacht auf der Huette mehr als bestaetigt hatte. "Wax and Seal" umfasst -wunderbar einheitlich- 12 warme und kluge Songs. Sie erzaehlen Geschichten, berichten von manchmal vertrauten Gedanken und bergen echte Ohrwurm-Gefahren ("Know you hate me" und "You or I"). "Wax and Seal" macht vor allem als Ganzes Sinn. Somit gehoert es zu den wenigen Alben, bei denen man keinen Titel ueberspringen muss. Die Musiker um Tadhg herum haben ganze Arbeit geleistet - sie harmonieren ideal und scheinen seine "Vision" verstanden zu haben (das zeigen die wunderschoenen Fluegelhorn-, Kontrabass- oder Giotarrensoli). Meine persoenlichen Favoriten sind "You or I", "Roadmap", "Six O Two" und "Foolish Part", aber entscheiden koennte ich mich nicht! Bei manchen Songs wuenscht man sich, einen insgesamt "roheren" Sound, aber genau das bekommt man in feinster Qualitaet zu hoeren, wenn man Tadhg Cooke einmal live erlebt hat. Allen "Nicht-Iren" sei gesagt: Hoert hin! Denn Tadhgs Lyrics sind essentiell und kein schnoedes Beiwerk. Auch wenn Herr Cooke etwas fuer Metaphern, Wortspiele und -kreationen uebrig hat, und somit nicht ganz einfach zu verstehen ist, lohnt es sich, genau zuzuhoeren. Kaum zu glauben, dass wir von dem Debut-Album eines 25-Jaehrigen sprechen! Der Titel "Roadmap", der das Album eroeffnet und traegt, wurde schon als "DER perfekte Song" betitelt (was noch nicht offiziell belegt ist) - sicher ist allerdings, dass er alles hat, was ein guter Song braucht und einzigartig Stimmung erzeugt, die jeden Menschen anspricht. Darin besingt Tadhg quasi kopfschuettelnd eine Frau, die in jungen Jahren schon ihr ganzes Leben akribisch vorausgeplant hat. Das tut er auf eine subtile, intelligente und gefuehlvolle Weise, die schoener nicht klingen kann...
Intoxicating mixture of folk, jazz, and pop...A rising star!
author: Carolyn HavertyWax & Seal is without a doubt one of my most favorite albums of the year! Tadhg Cooke comes as a breath of fresh air after the constant flush of depressing musicians being pushed down our throats by the industry. With his witty lyrics and intoxicating mixture of folk, jazz, and pop, Wax & Seal proves to be a masterpiece of a debut. Not to mention the smoothness of that voice! A must have for lovers of Jeff Buckley and Paul Simon!