Siobhán O'Brien
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Siobhán O'Brien

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"Siobhán Top Female Songwriter's .."

David Crosby, formerly of renowned supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, reckons that since Joni Mitchell retired, Shawn Colvin is the best female songwriter in the world. But then he probably hasn’t heard of Gemma Hayes, Shaz Oye, or Siobhán O’Brien.
- IMRO Quarterly (Ireland)


"O'BRIEN MASTERFULLY TACKLES SOME CLASSIC TUNES"

That's the great thing about folk culture - you can just succumb to the fact that all great songs have already been written and have you own go at them. Now when I saw the title of this album and the image of O'Brien as a child which adorns the cover i'll admit that I was terrified of what awful abominations might lie within. But when all is said and done, this is a beautifully sung and performed collection. Traditional songs like "All My Trials" adn "The Lakes of Ponchartrain" have been done many times before, but there's a great tremolo in O'Brien's voice which lets them live anew (she's a little like Karen Carpenter with a Backbone) and the understated production and expert musical performances (featuring the likes of Paddy Moloney from the Chieftains) means that she takes few wrong turns. Even when she covers the Beach Boys, Harry Chapin or Bob Dylan, she doesn't go wrong. Why? It's just great stuff really.
Key Track: The Lakes of Ponchartrain.
PATRICK FREYNE
- Hot Press - Ireland


"SONGS I GREW UP TO"

SONGS I GREW UP TO Littleredhen No Cat no
Limerick born Siobhán O'Brien has made a commendable name on the Irish and American folk circuits doing primarily her own material. What lifts her apart from the trillion Vega acolytes is a razor sharp sense of tunnel vision coupled with a compelling stage presence. That is just one side of Ms. O'Brien's output - the other is this project Songs I Grew Up To. Consisting of material common to the American folk revival of the late '50s, 60s and 70s and gleaned from her familial record collections this is homage to Americana from a cosmopolitan Irish viewpoint. In essence it resembles the best elements of a rough cross between an Alan Lomax collection and Bowie's Pin Ups where songs almost considered beyond standards are revitalised. Take All My Trials for example, here rendered as a simple evocative homage to freedom from social oppression, her pure voice recalls Joan Baez but with an extra bittersweet tinge. The Fox known from Burl Ives and schooldays songbooks is reinvigorated with Pete Cummins' Dylan like backing vocals and Paddy Moloney's pipes and whistle light up the Long Black Veil. However while big honchos make guest slots the main game is Siobhán O'Brien's doing - hers is a rich supple voice honed from years of practise and she knows her traditional ballads too offering a delicious resetting of the Lakes of Ponchartrain. Using her characteristic taste and experience SONGS I GREW UP TO offers a role model in how to honour the daunting Americana songbook yet imprint ones own personality on such a project. This is quite a challenging dare and to Ms. O'Brien's credit she pulls it off admirably. The results are powerfully moving and make Songs I Grew Up To quite an event in the process.

- Froots (Folk Roots) UK


"And No Label??"

*** 3 stars
Limerick singer Siobhán O’Brien treads a vocal pathway forged with such brio by Susan Mc Keown. This collection shimmers through the low-key sympathetic arrangements of songs borrowed from her childhood, her beloved Radio Luxembourg and her family get-togethers. Her Uncle, Brendan Bowyer, lends unbelievably delicate vocals to O’Brien’s reading of Scarlet Ribbons, a song rooted in the past that somehow transgresses the chasms of the decades with the fleetest of footfalls. Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains adds suitably haunting pipes and whistles to the Long Black Veil, a song he is no stranger to himself. A sweet, ultimately satisfying snapshot of a singer still building her identity through a reportoire that stretches from the grindingly familiar (Lakes Of Ponchartrain) to the unapologetically fresh faced (In My Room).
Siobhán Long

- The Ticket - Irish Times Newspaper


Discography

Wanted 1988
What's It All About? 1990
Mumbo Jumbo Bla Bla Bla 1995
Like A habit - 1996
Cat's Eyes - 2005
Beautiful Bodies - 2007
Songs I Grew Up To - April 2008

Photos

Bio

Siobh�n O�Brien
(pronounced Shiv-awn) hails from Limerick, Ireland. She has been entertaining audiences with her individual, unique voice and style of songwriting her whole life, literally. Siobh�n made her first audio recording at the tender age of six, with an old Burl Ives sea shanty.Siobh�n comes from four generations in the music industry. Most notably, she is the niece of 60's legend~ Brendan Bowyer In addition to Bob Dylan inviting Siobh�n on stage to sing the fox went out on a chilly night..Siobhan has supported groups and acts such as:
Henry McCullough,Donavan,Christy
Moore,The Cranberries, Maria McKee,
Sharon Shannon & Mick Flannery .
Siobh�n performed with :
Paul Brady March 09
Sharon Shannon ~Jan. 2008
Paddy Moloney from The Chieftains plays the tin whistle, low whistle, and uillean pipes on Siobh�n's latest album "Songs I grew up to" and Paddy has invited her to make a guest appearance with The Chieftains March 14, 2008 at Symphony Hall, Boston
Siobhan's 2008 US Tour starts at Symphony Hall and updates on her upcoming US tour will be posted on her website. WWW.SIOBHANOBRIEN.COM

Leonard Cohen found out Siobh�n sang many of his songs and sent her a book called "Dance Me To The End Of Love"

AWARDS:
Unisong International voted Siobh�n in the top 10% of undiscovered songwriters in the world. 1996.
Like a Habit "Single Of The Fortnight Feb '96 Hot Press (Ireland's National Music Mag)
Like A Habit No 4 Irish Indie charts1997
Guilty of Despair and He Said I said, were in the top 4 Unplugged songs of the year 1998 /1999 (Ireland).

Showcased at SXSW Austin Texas 1999.

Beautiful Bodies �Pick of the Fortnight� Hot Press (Ireland's National Music Mag)Feb, '07
Beautiful Bodies No. 1 for 15 weeks in Irish Indie Chart 2007.
Beautiful Bodies Track Of the Day GARAGEBAND.COM Feb 2007.
My Man and Beautiful Bodies Airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio New York.
PRESS:
David Crosby, formerly of renowned supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, reckons that since Joni Mitchell retired,
Shawn Colvin is the best female songwriter in the world. But then he probably hasn�t heard of Gemma Hayes, Shaz Oye, or Siobh�n O�Brien.
MQ (Music Quarterly) IMRO Magazine April �07 issue.

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