Bill Coleman

Another month into the year and another Dublin-based singer/songwriter releases a debut record. It would seem that a pattern is emerging at this early stage of 2007, but Bill Coleman will protest his originality amongst the rest. Not only does he hail from County Cork (but now pays his rent in the capital), he also makes the kind of music that doesn't belong to a particular scene or genre. He creates indie pop that is refreshingly unique and leaves a plesant aftertaste lingering. There hasn't been a debut album from an Irish singer/songwriter this impressive since Mr. Rice unlocked a sensitivity that many didn't know was buried deep within them. Coleman timidly ambles into a room, cowers into a magnolia-lit corner and sings in a subtle tone that perfectly reflects the mood captured on this eleven-track opus. He borrows a number of characteristics from various Irish songwriters and moulds them together to create this delicate blend of acoustic simplicity. From the vivid imagery of Goodtime John to the pop sensibilities of Crayonsmith, he has been smart enough to recognise what is needed in his sound and accordingly fit all of the pieces into their correct slot. This is not just another solo album to file under ‘bland and heard-it-all-before’ – it is a record to give your attention to and fall in love with. The first time you listen to this album from start to finish, you might agree that it is quite a pleasant experience with a number of catchy tunes. The second time you give it a go, a new layer peels back to unveil a fragile sense of belonging. The third time will tug on your emotions and ignite a flutter in your heart, before you realise you are hooked to his hushed style. The presence of a backing band brings a solid base to the sound, yet it is the soft vocals of Coleman that you will want to hear again and again. This might only be his first full-length release, but one can already envisage a bright future ahead for this talented troubadour.”

By Gareth Maher - Totally Dublin

I’ll Tear My Own Walls Down by Bill Coleman (BCMR)
Cork lad Bill Coleman is one of the more challenging members of the current standing army of Irish singer/songwriters. In an always overcrowded genre, usually synonymous with anguished, acoustic, bed-sit navel-gazing, he is an edgy cut above the introspective herd. But, then again, as one wag put it, Bono and Thom Yorke are singer/songwriters: they just have loud bands behind them.
The proof’s in the pudding, and this debut album, released on his own BCMR label, is consistently excellent, with no discernable weakest link in the eleven tracks. The reasons for this are manifold: the dexterity of his fierce finger-picking, which will draw inevitable comparisons with Nick Drake and Elliott Smith; the raw tenderness of his voice; and, perhaps most of all, the fact that he really beats himself up in his thoughtful, subtle lyrics, but although dangerously self-lacerating, is never whingingly self-pitying. Instead, having confronted his demons, he offers hard-won hope, through finding inner strength and resilience.
This is most evident in the title track’s declaration: ‘I’ll prove you wrong’. Songs like ‘Devilette’ and ‘Bound’ interrogate the machismo role, while ‘The Pull of the Pint’ (where the protagonist, mirror-like, addresses himself as ‘you’) and ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ (with its bracing guitar solo) further examine male shortcomings. ‘First On Me’ perfectly captures the giddy surprise of new love, and the mutual self-abasing of both partners in ‘All There Is’ is movingly revealing. But the lines ‘I’m sick to death of mediocrity/Especially my own’, from ‘In My Head’, tell you exactly what Bill is all about.
Don’t let this one pass you by. - Magill August 2007

Some people reckon we’ve enough male singer-songwriters on our hands on this wee isle, but thankfully both Eoin Coughlan and Bill Coleman break the mould. The former takes a bluesy/beachy route (accompanied by Damien Dempsey for this tune) while the latter employs a whole band to produce something not dissimilar to Bell X1. Move along Mr Rice– there’s some fresh talent to be heard.

Louise Hodgson - Hot Press

Taken in small doses, Cobh man Bill Coleman’s songs and his fey, world-weary voice bring a lot of aching charm to an often indifferent world.

I’ll Tear My Own Walls Down offers a testing array of thoughtful, somewhat downbeat performances and will reward those who apply themselves to it.

7 out of 10 - Hot Press

Cork singer/songwriter/guitarist Bill Coleman has a hig, plaintive tenor voice and a disarmingly heart-on-sleeve way with a lyric. His debut CD, set for release tomorrow, brings to mind David Kitt’s low-key production and Beth Orton’s knack for packing vast depths of raw emotion into an understated vocal. Thankfully, Coleman’s co-producer Steve Fanagan has kept the overall sound as stripped-back and raw as the songs themselves. On Awake instead of electronically scrubbing out the fretboard squeaks, he allows them to serve as a counterpoint to the gentle finger-picked accompaniment. The effect is mesmerising and lovely – words that could apply equally well to the album as a whole. Bill Coleman plays Crawdaddy in Dublin this Sunday, February 25th. Check out www.bcoleman.com. - Evening Herald

With that scruffy lad from Celbridge enjoying huge success on the back of a few half-baked folk songs, it’s no surprise that a slew of Irish singer-songwriters are busking on the bandwagon and hoping to bag themselves a Hollywood girlfriend. Corkman Bill Coleman is one of the better ones, and he can at least write a tune that doesn’t wander off into the woods halfway through. Catholic guilt has been transformed into Celtic lad guilt on such songs as Devilette, Bound and The Pull of the Pint, Coleman lamenting his own very Irish flaws, and looking for salvation on Offer Up the Hope and All There Is. Coleman’s finger-picking style keeps the songs fluid, and there’s a solidly rocking band to keep it all from getting too cross-legged.

Kevin Courtney
- Irish Times

Bill Coleman has taken the crown from fellow Cork man Rory Gallagher as the nicest man in the Irish Music Industry. Coleman's tenderness of voice and catchy turn of phrase have built the musician a solid fan base, appearing on radio & TV shows, playing festivals and gigs all over the country.

The beautiful "Offer Up the Hope" can be described in no other way. Coleman has managed to capture that elusive zeitgeist on his recordings again and again. A melodic swarf washes over the listener and in this place we can bathe in the gentle beats; relaxing, uncaring - a momentarily free-of-inhibitions sing-along.

The EP is available from Coleman's website www.bcoleman.com. We eagerly await more.
- Connected Magazine

Connected toasts the release of a new mini-EP from sanguine singer-songwriter Bill Coleman. Featuring the feel-good single 'Offer Up The Hope' alongside the more melancholy charms of tracks 'Devilette' and 'The Pull Of The Pint', this beautifully produced record powerfully demonstrates the multiple facets of the talented Corkman's melodic oeuvre - abilities very much in evidence to anyone lucky enough to catch his launch-night performance at Whelan's Wednesday last.

Initially taking to the stage alone, the slender songsmith cut a striking figure as he set out his stall with charismatic purpose. As an opening savvy 'The Pull Of The Pint' certainly demands attention, Coleman's nasal falsetto evoking the love/hate dynamics of alcohol abuse to haunting effect. Soon joined by his band-mates Cormac Driver (keyboard), Ed Hurrell (bass) and Keith O'Brien (drums), the set begins it's ascent into more upbeat territory with 'Awake', a well-crafted ode to emotional rebirth that builds slowly towards a spine-tingling crescendo of lush instrumentation. Only a year in existence, there is a fresh, playful energy about this line-up well suited to the rockier numbers that follow. And whilst there is little that's groundbreaking in their combination of plucked guitar progressions, vocal harmonies and Killers-esq synth licks, the likes of 'Only Natural' and 'First On Me' have an uncynical, heart-felt quality that is refreshing in itself.

Coleman's ability to stir the soul with a simple turn of phrase is reminiscent of Crowded House at their Woodface best, with songs such as 'All There Is' and 'Crossfire' casting an ironic eye across love's turbulent waters ('Life will get you down, It'll turn your smile upside down'). 'Offer Up The Hope' itself is a bittersweet rallying cry to the lost and disillusioned; a restless blend of jaded experience and resilient optimism that gains momentum with every uplifting chorus. Structured around a major/minor four-chord progression, the song is easy on the ear and light on the spirit, lending it the kind of instant appeal factor that all but guarantees radio play (A certain Mr Fenton has already fallen for its charms). As a live entity, the tune possesses all of the qualities necessary to stimulate a wave of hand-clapping, sing-along positivity, before 'In My Head' brings events to a fittingly celebratory double-tempo conclusion.

Bill and the boys will be peddling their wares in a nationwide tour throughout the coming month. On the strength of this session they deserve every success.

Limited edition copies of the Offer Up The Hope EP can be purchased now through www.bcoleman.com or from www.bandwagon.ie. For tour dates see www.myspace.com/billcolemanmusic

Tom Donegan
- Connected Magazine