Helen O’Shea – “Rock And Roll Angel” Feat. Barry Murphy

Helen O’Shea – “Rock And Roll Angel” Feat. Barry Murphy – Single Review

Sometimes we’re fortunate enough to secure victories in art on intentions alone.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of sweetness in the gentle sway of sound that Helen O’Shea has got going on in her latest single, but I think what a lot of folks will notice before they even push play if they do a little research, is that “Rock And Roll Angel” is written in tribute to the legendary Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries.  There are lots of great ways to use the power of your pen when writing songs, and this is an example of one of the better ways to go about it.  I’ll admit, I got a little bit worried when I saw the title of this song and braced myself for some riff-heavy 80s Rock for a moment there, but O’Shea stays true to the style we know from her past material, and delivers a humble ballad that honors a fallen icon we all loved.

There’s a lot going right here.  Music and production-wise for starters…”Rock And Roll Angel” sounds powerfully professional, and designed to elicit emotion through the sincerity found at the root of O’Shea’s intentions in writing this song.  It’s kind of an anomaly of sorts when compared to a lot of what is out there in the scene today, which theoretically usually works for and against a song on the whole, but I think the charming mood and melody that “Rock And Roll Angel” displays should be enough to win most people over.  Alright, maybe not you Metal-heads or the folks that clicked on a song called “Rock And Roll Angel” thinking they were in for a dose of the hard stuff…they might be a tougher sell, but not an impossible one.  Maybe sound-wise it’d be a stretch for that crowd, but I betcha even those found outside the Folk realm would still be able to appreciate the specific reasons as to why a track like this gets written.  It’s likely an odd form of closure that Helen might not have even known she needed, at least at first.  She set out to write about one of her inspirations and personal heroes, and even though it has been years since O’Riordan passed on, the catharsis that comes with confronting traumatic events eventually leads to that closure we really needed.  Of course, there’s closure in some ways…like Helen’s feelings are probably a little lighter now that she knows she’s been able to contribute something artistic to commemorate Dolores in her own work – and of course, by doing that, she’s also got a song that she will likely never stop singing.  Like I said, closure in some ways, but not in others…and it’s all beautiful.

So…brass tacks and such…hmm…what do I think about this song and how it sounds?  I feel like Helen knocked about 95% of this right outta the park.  It doesn’t need that huge, over the top, BIG VOCAL moment, though there IS opportunity for that to exist in the structure of a song like this as it continues to fill in towards the end.  I don’t mind that Helen didn’t go that route…I think it keeps this tributary tune as humble as it was always intended to be.  Helen keeps the energy tightly controlled and gets a pretty decent performance outta herself on this song.  I ain’t gonna lie to you, I can still hear she’s got room to refine her craft as a singer even further, but I feel like her tone and emotion are consistent assets throughout “Rock And Roll Angel” and made this experience feel like part waltz & part lullaby.

Lyrically, I think it’s one of those things…concept songs and albums are always going to mean more to the people creating them…that’s just the objective reality.  Would I have known that “Rock And Roll Angel” was about Dolores O’Riordan if I had only listened to the song?  Probably not if I’m being honest with you.  That doesn’t mean Helen missed the mark – it only proves my point that conceptual material means something more personal to the people creating it…and that’s really all it ever needs to be.  It’s the same with the closure and catharsis…these are pieces that knowingly or unknowingly, Helen was probably searching for in the case of how she felt about O’Riordan…it really is kind of a personal journey of her own in many ways, and we’re just lucky enough to witness it from the outside listening in.  In any event, songs are always going to mean what they mean to people as they internalize what they hear in any given tune, and as much as I’m sure it’s nice when someone gets what you were trying to communicate, as long as they’re listening and it means something to them, I’d take that as a win.  So whether every person out there gets that this is about Dolores or not…I dunno…that don’t matter much.  They’ll get the emotion conveyed…they’ll get that a song like this is written with genuine heart and an unmistakable respect…that’s the kind of tangible stuff that matters – that it moves people listening, for any reason.  I don’t think it’s a tough song to like or love at all…its tributary intentions really do shine when you know what you’re listening to in terms of its theme, but I also like that O’Shea wrote this in a way that listeners could still form their own personalized meanings around as well.  That’s a good thing.

As for this troublemaker Barry Murphy that appears as a featured guest, lemme tell ya…  Okay, okay – he’s no troublemaker at all…he actually pairs with O’Shea’s voice quite nicely.  Clearly a confident singer in his own right, the rich tones of Murphy’s voice go a long way to add to both the charm & authenticity you’ll find in this song.  A little along the lines of someone like David Gray in my opinion…which is A-OK with me, and I reckon a comparison like that would be fine with most singers too – that’s great company to keep!  Gray’s a legend.  Anyhow – I think that you get the point…I love Murphy’s voice, and he’s really helped to give this song the truly classic & traditional vibes it needed to elevate its cross-cultural sound.

“Rock And Roll Angel” is good stuff all-around…quaint and endearing, and clearly made with love & care.

Find out more about Helen O’Shea from her official page at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/helenosheamusic

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