Whilst researching the Irish iTunes chart to get some inspiration with a view towards possible purchases during my forthcoming Dublin trip, I was initially disappointed as the curse of pop globalisation had struck again. Although I was cheered up by the fact that "Moves Like Jagger", one of my favourite pop songs of 2011, had been at no.1. There are very few Irish artists in the singles/albums chart, and the ones which are there didn’t inspire me (sorry Jedward). Anyway some further digging lower down the singles chart led me to a song called "Good Intentions" by Bressie, a name I hadn’t heard before. I had a listen and was immediately impressed. If you want a musical comparison, he reminded me of Erik Hassle. Yes, that good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZdQcmz5IKw&feature=relmfu
Further investigation revealed that Bressie, or Niall Breslin to give him his full name, was previously the lead singer of a very popular Irish band called The Blizzards. Musical comparison time: think Snow Patrol, only with much more uptempo/cheerier tunes and not a dreary-pop dirge in sight.
Bressie launched his solo career with "Can’t Stay Young (Forever)":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX59pwDWe90&feature=relmfu
He also moved to London to write and produce music for himself and other artists and is signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment. I’m not sure if an international launch is on the cards, but I’m guessing it’s highly likely that his music will get a UK release at some point. If the trend will ever swing away from tiresome r’n’b- urban-pop-dance crossover and X Factor contestants towards quality pop music, then I would foolishly predict that Bressie could become a very big star.
Official website: www.bressiemusic.com
His debut album "Colourblind Stereo" will be released today, so voila! CD purchasing problem resolved!
Or if you're one of these modern people who likes this new-fangled downloading off iTunes thing, get it at http://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/colourblind-stereo-bonus-track/id463808142
2 comments:
I don't think his album will be released in the UK, as he has not mentioned it on his Twitter page, http://twitter.com/#!/nbrez (he's also very comedic in his posts). The Blizzards tried and failed to crack the British market, and this is one of the reasons for their current hiatus. Bressie has said that their next album must be a success in the UK, as it is pointless merely touring in Ireland. As regards his album, Colourblind Stereo, a good performance in Ireland should mean at least some airplay in the UK. His relationship with Simon Fuller would be beneficial in this regard. He also shares an apartment with MTV UK presenter Laaura Whitmore, who also has obvious links to the British music industry. I absolutely agree that his album is how pop music should be, as opposed to relying on lyrics based around a night in a club or sex. He deserves all the credit he gets
Thanks for your comments, I've just arrived back from a short holiday in Dublin where I bought Colourblind Stereo and also The Blizzards' last album. Hopefully having all those links will help Bressie, because it's time for change and a return to quality pop - and I think he could be the man to do it. He certainly does deserve all the credit.
Post a Comment