Louise Killeen

HOTPRESS Magazine
Louise Killeen
Brilliant Tease
LIK Music ***
Key Track – Coalmines

MEMORABLE MELODIES FROM THE MIDLANDS

Offaly singer-songwriter Louise Killeen crafts charming pop melodies combined with intelligent lyrics drawn from her own observations on life, love and the daily grind of existence. She cites influences from the classic era of the confessional singer-songwriter, including James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel and you can probably add Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny and Sheryl Crowe. Killeen is clearly drawn to an irresistibly catchy tune: for example, the opening track ‘Ease Up On Me Dear’ appears to be inspired by the 70’s one-hit wonder ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ as covered more recently by Toploader. Her bright, effervescent voice, which recalls Britt songstresses of the Beth Orton and Dido variety glide over homely easy-on-the-ear tunes like ‘Charming Hands’ and ‘Easy Talk’. Elsewhere, the lovely ballad ‘Coalmines’ showcases her songwriting prowess while (in the grand tradition of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’) ‘The KVT Song’ nicely chronicles the lives of the characters who inhabit her local pub.

COLM O’HARE
- HOTPRESS Magazine

Net Rhythms

The well-appointed press release and fulsome, glossy accompanying booklet augurs well for this record, which would seem to mark the debut on disc for this accomplished young singer-songwriter from Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly. But it's kind of touted as her "coming-of-age album" so it's hard to believe it's a debut, since to a large extent Louise's reputation precedes her, at least in Ireland, for she first caught the public's eye with weekly appearances on RTE's You're A Star show as long ago as 2005, since when she has chalked up two prestigious songwriting contest victories. Well yes, on the evidence of this 32-minute offering, Louise definitely has a talent for songwriting - and it's songwriting of the upfront, refreshingly candid and laid-bare and often daringly no-holds-barred variety, which can be notoriously difficult to bring off but which Louise by and large manages with a generous helping of quirky wit. But the problem with Brilliant Tease is that I can't in all honesty endorse the extravagant claims made for Louise - the music doesn't exactly "make you sit up and listen", and her performing style, while suitably melodic and pleasingly sung, rather skates over the power of the lyrics, underplaying their import to an often infuriating degree. It's all too bright and breezy, even on the heart-rending Not Yours and the would-be-touching power ballad Everywhere Out There. The basic demeanour and character of Louise's music, as a kind of love-child of folk and pop, harks back to the late-60s Denny & Strawbs (Ease Up On Me Dear), Judy Dyble (Coalmines) or the deceptively easygoing early-70s s/s like James Taylor (This Love). It's all seriously radio-friendly, entirely likeable and listenable, but the companionable arrangements (modest gentle electric and acoustic guitars, organ, piano, soft rhythm section), though impossible to fault, seem altogether too tasteful (even polite) for the intended cutting-edge of Louise's lyrics. David Kidman March 2012 - Net Rhythms UK

RADIO WDCB Chicago
Louise Killeen has a wonderful voice. It is warm and immediately accessible. Open. Honest. What a wonderful talent! This is a major star in the making and we want to follow this young lady closely. Wow! - RADIO WDCB Chicago

The Irish Post 18.02.12

LOUISE KILLEEN is a singer/songwriter from the small town of Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly and Brilliant Tease is her terrific debut album. It is easy to see why she has won two prestigious
song-writing contests.

And in a business that can appear sometimes to be awash with mediocre singer/songwriters Louise's wonderful refreshing lyrics and catchy melodies stand out like a beacon.

Her influences are cited as artists such as James Taylor and Simon and Garfunkel and she has developed that classy easy but powerful vocal delivery that makes you listen to the words.

Growing up as a gay woman in a small Irish town, Louise is totally honest about her sexuality and her album is full of laid-bare lyrics that can alternate between fun and intimacy but always set to strong melody tastefully played by an excellent bunch of musicians. Recorded in Dublin and produced by Ciaran Byrne and Bill Shanley this is an album that will delight her existing fans but should also, if there is any justice, help establish her as a major artist.

Some tracks are already becoming radio favourites but my own personal choice would be Coalmines. This track has a gorgeous feel and is just a beautiful song of any genre. . Joe Giltrap
- The Irish Post

The Irish World Newspaper

A UNQUE KIND OF ARTST: LOUISE KILLEEN'S BRILLIANT TEASE PROVES AN UNEXPECTED DELIGHT

Louise Killeen, a singer-songwriter from Shannonbridge, Co Offaly, first caught the public's attention back in 2005, with weekly appearances in RTE series You're a Star, when it became obvious she was a unique performer offering something a little different to the norm.

Her new album Brilliant Tease, produced by Ciaran Byrne & Bill Shanley in Dublin's Cauldron Studio, confirms that talent with its fresh, adventurous, quirky spirit and honest, punchy lyrics - songs as full of intimacy as they are fun. Joining Louise (guitar) on 'Brilliant Tease' are Bill Shanley (guitar) Danny Byrt (drums, percussion) Justin Carroll (piano, Hammond organ, Rhodes, Wurlitzer) James Blennerhasset (electric and double bass) and Gavin Murphy (brass, strings).

Killeen grew up as a gay woman in a small town in Ireland, and is wonderfully open about her sexuality. Unflinching in how much her songs have her heart on their sleeve, this lady is one of those who it's not an exaggeration to call an 'artist's artist'. Her Midlands roots can be heard all over her work, yet this album is not at all colloquial in reach. It's brutally honest, and it's utterly enthralling.

An intoxicating and confident blend of folk and pop, it's not a surprise to hear her influences are strong, seasoned icons such as James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel - though Brilliant Tease is very much forging its own path.

Luka Bloom said of her, "Louise Killeen is a unique Irish woman. She has a unique story to tell. On Brilliant Tease she tells her story with great honesty, great songs and a sweet production. It is more brilliant than tease, because it delivers."

With two prestigious song-writing contest victories to her credit, Louise Killeen has already proven that her cutting-edge sound strikes a chord with people - and this brilliantly unique, coming-of-age album from one lady's distinctive world-view should prove a refreshing addition to the music-lover's collection.

You owe it to yourself to check this woman's music out - in a year or two you can lay claim to discovering Killeen before the rest of the world did! Shelley Marsden. - The Irish World Newspaper UK

R2 Magazine ***
Most promotional albums are fairly minimal affairs. If you're lucky you'll get a decent press release; if not there's always the Internet. Louise Killeen's album comes in a paperback-sized cover with a similarly shaped booklet and all the information you might need. Whatever the purchaser gets, I'm not going to swap.

Louise has been big in her native Ireland for about six years. She is open about her identity as a gay woman and that's obvious from her lyrics-this is who she is and this is what she sings about. She's backed by a small band that includes producer Bill Shanley, on guitar, and bassist James Blennerhassett.

The songs are fresh and generally upbeat even when they are confessional. 'Ease Up On Me Dear' is autobiographical and defiantly explicit while 'Coalmines' deals with pain and loss in a way that tries to put mistakes behind her while accepting the inevitability of repeating them. All that in two verses and a chorus!

I can't tell if Louise is setting herself up as a role model but Brilliant Tease will certainly be seen that way. And if you're not part of that demographic, don't worry-it's still a fine album. Dai Jeffries
- R2 Magazine

LOUISE KILLEEN AND SUCH A BRILLIANT TEASE
Posted on December 1, 2011
Louise Killeen hits the right note!
Rarely but from time to time, a CD lands on my desk that isn’t resigned to the “coffee mat” or coaster application. In October, I received such a CD from Louise Killeen. She was new to me but as always, I played it, expecting the usual mix of mediocrity which seems to be acceptable nowadays and sadly has become the norm. It dominates much of our viewing and listening. However, the first track “Ease Up On Me Dear” went by and I thought “not bad at all. I’m going to listen to more.”
By the time I reached track 3 – which I thought was called “risk it for a biscuit” but that turned out to have the improved title of “Charming Hands”, I was beginning to get hooked. I played it twice more before I continued with the rest of the tracks. Louise is from County Offaly in Southern Ireland and she is awfully good! Most of the tracks are outrageously catchy and everyone will have a particular favorite. “Our Katie”, “This Love”, “Everywhere Out There”, “Easy Talk” – they grew on me like a beard on Santa Claus. Brilliant Tease is not perhaps the best produced album ever but most of the arrangements are very good and classy. The lyrics are exceptional and it has the “feel good factor”. Although there is some melancholy sadness in some of the words, the mood is always optimistic and the album left me feeling a bit better with the world. And anything that can do that in these miserable times has to be a positive. I understand Louise Killeen has won a couple of songwriting competitions and I’m not surprised. She is a wonderful talent. I have not had the privilege of seeing Louise play live but that day hopefully won’t be far away. Every radio station should be playing her material, especially the incredibly radio friendly “Charming Hands” which stands up against anything else out there. If you get a chance, listen to the “BRILLIANT TEASE” and sit back and bathe in the talent of Louise Killeen. - FRANKOBSERVER

LOUISE KILLEEN
Brilliant Tease
GWM0010, 11 Tracks, 36 Minutes
www.louisekilleen.com

So those reality song competitions can produce the goods. Louise Killeen apparently contested You’re A Star back in 2005 and based on this new CD of eleven self penned tracks it almost makes me sorry I did not view.
Louise from Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly defies categorisation based on this collection. One minute I am thinking Lobo, next I compare her to Clifford T Ward or even Fivepenny Piece (showing my age) and then I settle for just thinking this is her and she has a broad field of influences that are either conscious or unconscious.
She hops from the soulful to a lovely bouncy Charming Hands that lifts the spirits immediately. I love her use of that phrase “risk it for a biscuit”. In fact her lyrics have that excellent “true to life” feel rather than the usual “high faluting” phrasing so often used especially by new writers.
All the tracks without exception show a confident and very talented writer. But her voice makes her an even greater phenomenon. She is one of the easiest to listen to artistes I have heard in a long while and I would like to hear her sing a full concert.
Everywhere Out There is a lovely slow song filled with emotions and again using wonderful phrasing betraying a widely read artiste who has listened closely to the greatest singers and writers.
The title track is more upbeat again and sounds so realistic in its observations the listener feels as if they know the subject – Katie. Sadly Killeen provides us with the words on the insert but not the background to the songs.
The KVT Song is a documentary song about what one surmises is her home tavern and if so would be a great soundtrack if the pub takes on television advertising.
She ends the album with Starstruck and I am sure many of her listeners will feel just that after this CD. Let’s look forward to many more.
Nicky Rossiter - Irish Music Magazine

Latest Reviews

'Brilliant Tease' - accomplished song writing from Louise Killeen
(February 13, 2012)

Absorb these songs as they wash over you. Relax while they pull you into the warm velvet Louise Killeen embrace of pure, ecstatic, accomplished song writing. That’s what’s the tempting embrace of ‘Brilliant Tease’ from Louise Killeen offers the listener. There’s deep emotion, brutal honesty, eternal sanguinity and enthralling narrative encased in these alluring songs. Each one will haul you into Louise’s worldview of life and you’re hooked.

From the instinctive, primeval emotion of ‘Ease up on me dear’ to the inspired, penetrating lyrics of ‘Coalmines’ – “And we’ve been down, down together in the coal mines, Black from the lies that we let in” – Louise demonstrates her lyrical skill. There’s a bouncy, energetic feel to ‘Easy Talk’, which again cuts a clear path with its incisive lyric, while ‘Everywhere out there’ displays a more wide ranging and sweeping style, the words still remain as sharp as ever. The eponymous ‘Brilliant Tease’ is another outing for Louise’s expressive wordsmith quality (it prompted multiple hits on the ‘replay’ button) well worth listening to again and again. The killer track, exceptional for its ability to reflect poignant distress ‘This Love’ exposes a palpable sadness – beware this song is melancholy in physical form.

Joining Louise (guitar) on ‘Brilliant Tease’ are Bill Shanley (guitar) Danny Byrt (drums, percussion) Justin Carroll (piano, Hammond organ, Rhodes, Wurlitzer) James Blennerhasset (electric and double bass) and Gavin Murphy (brass, strings).

There’s sadness, love, optimism, reflection and resilience wrapped around Louise’s songs. Nothing added that’s not required and nothing removed to reduce the passion. This album has the wings to fly – just watch it soar. You will find 'Brilliant Tease' on Louise’s web site or Reverbnation

Reviewer: Tim Carroll - Folk Words

Reviews
Louise Killeen
Album: Brilliant Tease
Label: Copperplate
Tracks: 10
Website: www.louisekilleen.com

"Brilliant Tease" is the new album by Irish singer/songwriter Louise Killeen. Louise is well-known in Ireland, having appeared regularly on RTE's "You're A Star " programme. She has also won two national songwriting competitions and her talent is obvious from the songs on this album.

She pulls no punches in her lyrics. In the opening song "Ease Up On Me" she deals candidly with her sexuality which "Created such a scandal that my parents couldn't handle " in her "One track town " where "Johnny's out of luck, I've started checking out his sister".

The majority of the songs are catchy, radio-friendly numbers. The lyrics are witty and interesting. "Charming Hands" for example, contains the immortal line " If you'll risk it for a biscuit, so will I ". "Easy Talk" has a reggae-ish backbeat and a catchy infectious chorus . The backing band play tastefully and understatedly, with some nice organ ,acoustic and electric guitar work.

Not all the songs are up-tempo. "Everywhere Out There" is a slow ballad which builds slowly to a string -enhanced ending and "Not Yours" is an emotional break-up song, with obviously heartfelt lyrics. The album closes with a humorous vignette about life at the local pub "KVT Song (Killeen's Village Tavern)".

It is clear that Louise Killeen is a talented songwriter who is not afraid to take risks with her lyrics. This is an extremely listenable album. If I had to make one minor criticism, I would say that the musical setting for her songs is, perhaps, a little too polite and restrained.

Peter Cowley
- FETEA Megazine UK