Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Reviewed 05 February 2007
The bass line that opens up "Hiding In Plain Sight"; brings individuals
back to an earlier bit of rock, back to the days when The Police rode high. The vocals laid down on "All The Elements" feel like a blend of
Mr. Miister and Don Henley, and while a number of the factors on this
disc seem to be from an earlier version of rock, there is a current
attraction to Kevin McCarthy and Beautiful Loser that cannot be debated. The production present on the disc is great, allowing for individuals to easily hear any McCarthy and Beautiful Loser tracks on a radio station. Should a DJ pick up "Hiding In Plain Sight" with the middle part of "All The Elements" rocking so hard, it would be surprising if no one put the bands name in lights.
"WWIII" builds on the energy that "All The Elements" created for the band, to allow the smoothed-out vocals present to send individuals to
an entirely new realm. Hints of Santana can be heard with each of the
guitar lines that make it to listeners ears. If individuals did not know that this record was released this year, I could completely understand individuals if they believed it was released 20 years ago. This reverence for all things seventies and eighties is perhaps the discs largest selling point, but one must understand that the compelling songwriting is another thing that should rope listeners in. "Save You" is a track that largely breaks free of the conventions originally laid out by McCarthy and Beautiful Loser, as the song sounds like a blend of Rusted Root and Dave Matthews Band, having a very early nineties sound.
The inclusion of this track with the other songs on "Hiding In Plain Sight" shows that there is no limits to the style that McCarthy and Beautiful Loser are able to successfully pull off during this record. The act may not be at the highest echelons of popularity at this moment, but their deftness and continual reminders of ability should be what is necessary for McCarthy and Beautiful Loser to catapult themselves into a higher level of popularity. Keep listening to them, as they will be the next big deal here soon.
Top Tracks: "WWIII", "Liberte Frites"
Rating: 7.0/10 - Nufutur.com
10.29.03
This CD has that soaring acoustic and electric sound with a feel of jazz
and folk to it. McCarthy's voice is similar to Tom Petty or Eric Clapton's,
and the sound is decently refined. "Anchors Away" is a rhythmic work of
genius with the silky riffs and his varied-in-tone voice. If you're looking
for something semi-obscure and blatantly different from what you'll hear on the radio, McCarthy's album is undeniably worth checking out. Repetition is ongoing, lyrically, throughout the album, but it's the simple songs that make this collection so pure. His voice is smooth and the tunes are dreamy and undefinable as far as genres go, which adds to the album's appeal.
Favorite Tracks: Anxious, Fate
Rating: 4 stars - Discovering Artists
10.11.03
How often have you wandered into a tiny coffee shop to get your double latte
with extra-extra sugar only to find another sympathetic guitarist in a dark corner that gives you more spiritual caffienation than your sorry money could ever buy? Well, if you're from the Northern Ohio region, it could happen to you. His name is Kevin McCarthy, and you owe him a tip.
First track, "Anxious", starts it off on the jazzy note, then switches it up the
familiar, sensitive-male guitarist vibe, redeemed with a sleepy melody that's
tranquil and calm, a blessing in a two-chord disguise. Next comes "Rest Area"... not the strongest song on the album, but that doesn't mean it's weak.(I didn't quite feel the heart on this song, compared to the others.) None of this material is weak in the songwriting sense, credit due in part to his affectionate backing band and the high quality engineering of Stewart Myers and producer Chris Keup. Basically, this effort by Kevin McCarthy is palatable to anyone who devours meaningful, un-spoiled folk-rock music.
"Anchors Away", the title track, is the main course. Not often enough do I hear a song this easy to like: You hum along during the first listen, but that's not because it's redundant; it's simply haunting. One might find themselves shaking their head at their own lack of songwriting abilities (why couldn't you come up with that, Mr. Mayer?!) In essence, it's remarkable...
The personal stand-out track on this 8-song debut CD is "Fate". It has that steel stringed, olde time feel to it.(think "O' brother where art thou?"). Kevin sings "Truth is, that word won't get me anywhere, truth is, I'm already there." Honestly, Kevin...you're damn close. Truth is: "Anchors Away", if put in the right hands, will be the career starter this up-and-coming folk hero deserves.
I give this album a 8 out of 10 on the evolution scale! - Evolving Artists
Discography
Kevin McCarthy - Anchors Away
2003 Cork Music
Kevin McCarthy and Beautiful Loser - Hiding In Plain Sight
2006 Cork Music
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Some musicians experience an essential moment—an epiphany, if you will—when the veneer of impediments and “reasons why” holding them back from a headlong plunge into their passion peels away to reveal the heartwood of a true artist.
For Kevin McCarthy; a songwriter, singer and principal of his label, Corkmusic; that moment occurred when he realized that music was a vehicle with which he could communicate ideas and feelings for which words had failed.
The critics picked up on that ability right from the start: when his debut album, “Anchors Away” was released, a review in “Discovering Artists” revealed “His voice is smooth and the tunes are dreamy and undefinable as far as genres go, which adds to the album’s appeal.”
His new album, “Hiding In Plain Sight,” promises to generate the same excitement from critics, old and new fans alike. The new work was produced by McCarthy, Jerry Becker, and bassist Jeremy Bleich with performances by an eclectic cast of musicians “whose technical and creative abilities are second to none.”
McCarthy started writing music at 16, but his exposure to piano, trumpet and drums began a decade earlier. The solid foundation might be the explanation for the flowing, natural interaction between his lyrics and music; a quality that Discovering Artists characterized as a “soaring acoustic and electric sound with a feel of jazz and folk.”
He describes his artistic process as “chord progression, melody and lyrics,” fueled by his interpretation of what he observes and how it makes him feel. That approach carries through to what he wants for his live audiences.
“When they’re leaving my show, I want them to feel like they just shared a array of intense feelings,” McCarthy says, “challenged, ecstatic, lost, found, electrified.”
Bringing that level of refinement to the stage and recording studio has been no small feat. In 2003, McCarthy started his label and released his debut album. In the subsequent three years, he’s lived an up-and-coming musician’s life, covering 120,000 miles on the road in locations from Rhode Island to San Francisco .
While he is feeling the challenge of making a mark in the independent music sector by having to handle virtually all aspects of promoting his music, his work ethic—by any measure: miles, performances or energy—will maintain his impressive career trajectory. The music will take care of the rest.
Links
