aaamusic | On 13, Nov 2011

When I first played Patrick Plunkett’s single ‘Attracting Attention’ my immediate instincts told me that I was about to waste yet another four minutes listening to the colour beige. However, despite Plunkett’s pop-folk lacking any kind of perceivable originality or any real excitement, by the end of the track I felt like I was listening to some kind of bright, polka-dotted, colour explosion.

Even after repeated listens, I haven’t really been able to pinpoint why I like this cut from the Paris-born, London-based, Irish singer-songwriter so much. ‘Attracting Attention’ – the title track of his latest EP – is just regular soul laced, country-tinged pop-folk music. There is the standard female backing singer, the tinkering jazz-bar piano, and the vanilla-paced acoustic strumming – pretty much the same as Jason Mraz, James Morrison, Jack Johnson, and any other J I’ve forgotten.

What Patrick Plunkett has done differently, I think, is secretly injected his music with the songwriting tendencies of the americana singer-songwriters of yesteryear – the unassuming refrain, the understated bluesy guitar solo (which is sublime, by the way), and old-school, love-sick lyrics. Plus, Plunkett’s voice is just brilliant – he has the range of Mraz, but manages to hold onto more power in his wails. A fine singer-songwriter discovery.

 

Clive Rozario