Ray Heffernan
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Ray Heffernan

Band Pop Singer/Songwriter

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"19/03/05 - Ray Heffernan – 'What you feel, not what you drive' - EP review by Darren Byrne"

Social commentary mixed with romance and realism, not to mention catchy riffs and choruses. Just a few traits of Ray Heffernans EP, ‘what you feel, not what you drive’. One thing’s for sure and that’s that these are all well constructed songs with a lot of thought gone into them. Words and images click in all over the place, motifs and associations run through them, prodding the meaning or message in the song even further into your brain. ‘Let go of the wheel’ and ‘As good as it gets’ also haunt you long after you’ve heard them. On ‘As good as it gets’ brilliant backing vocals from Wexford's Wallis Bird groove through the insistent hypnotic beat, while Ray flows through a rap in his own brogue, no fake twangs nor affected voices here, a real Irish delivery ‘a little bit catholic, a little bit black and blue’. Luka Bloom's cover of LL Cool J's ‘I need Love’ comes to mind, also Kirsty Macoll and even Gary Dunne must be mentioned es! pecially because of the real deal on the vocals. (I have this theory that singing in an Irish accent is like singing in an American accent, or sounds that way to Americans anyway, except we sound like pissed off Americans or ones with a lot of passion and anger, just very expressive – well it’s a theory?) Saying that then it’s a pity Robbie Williams isn’t big stateside because Ray could be, and anywhere Robbie Williams' name will be mentioned in the not too distant future, so will Ray Heffernan's. Ray is taking Williams to the highest courts in the lands for taking a song that started life in Paris as an ode to Ray's son, born an angel, as we say in Ireland. The song is called ‘Angels’. It got played to Robbie at a new years eve tear-up, Williams knew a good thing when he heard it, he went on to record it, without Heffernans full permission or cooperation, and it saved his fledgling solo career.

So in effect and by the look in Williams eyes of late, this most undoubtedly is the case, Mr. Williams used Mr. Heffernan as a vehicle to sell his soul. This must surely explain the distracted, haunted, manic and glittering demonised look on Williams face for the last couple of years. (It’s not just the burgers, cocaine and rerpressed homo tendencies). Even more eerily in the thank yous at the end of his album Willaims wrote ‘Even fallen angels laugh last, thanks to Ray Heffernan’. Whatever way you look at this, every time I hear or see Williams now I want to puke! Ray might have a chance at defamation as well, as when he went to try and sort out the mess Williams accused him of stalking him! Back to the EP though and the l! ast thing I’ll say is that in the matter of big sounds, soundscapes and the like, Ray is entering Serge Gainsbourgh territory on at least ‘as good as it gets’. And that for me says it all.
- Hotpress


Discography

"What you feel, not what you drive" - 2004
"Irish music on Irish Radio" - 2005
"Let go of the wheel" - (The Potenitial Collection compilation) - 2006
"Postcards from the periphery" - Sept 2006

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Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Ray Heffernan is a qualified music therapist from Dublin. Leaving Ireland at just 17, he has learned his craft by integrating himself into different lands, and different cultures, meeting people and creating uncommon songs from everyday emotion. Although he is best known for his part in the international hit "Angels", he also writes in 4 langauges, has had releases in three countries, and travels regularily between his Irish homeland, and mainland europe to perform or simply to write. His songs are clever, careful stories put to music. His live shows are a mix of songs and stories, and the subjects he chooses are thought provoking and challenging. From "Sexy Little secrets", a beautiful honest love song, to "Irish music on Irish Radio", a satirical take on the Irish attitude to music, thru "Jerusalem Falls", a war cry against the hypocritical hierarchy of the world's largest religions, his songs are social documents with a singalong feel. This year sees the release of the "Postcards from the Periphery" project, from which "Chorus" has been chosen as the theme tune for the forthcoming RTE documentary on songwriting, "This note's for you", to be broadcast this fall.