The Is and Was and Maybes, by Fintan Lucy
THE all-encompassing time-frames of Fintan Lucy’s
first solo CD suggests a man at once firmly alive in the
present,
nostalgic and uncertain of the future. That he can sometimes
convey each of these conditions in one song is testament to
the man’s songwriting abilities.
Well-known in traditional music circles in Ireland, Lucy has
drawn on his life experiences to produce an album of lasting
endurance. The sound is reminiscent of long-time friend and
collaborator Ger Wolfe but has Lucy’s own unique imprint.
The title track The Is and Was and Maybes is a gorgeous love
song and utterly passionate. Nature imagery keeps cropping
up
throughout: lightning, wind, light, rain, sun, snowfall, thunder,
suggesting a brooding, passionate heart. Relationships,
particularly with women, are the driving-force of the album.
Paeans to love, love lost and found and the possible rewards
of
sticking with a relationship gone sour are beautifully expressed.
Of course, love of place should not be forgotten.
Nohoval, (near Kinsale, Co Cork) is the singer’s stark
statement that he can only be happy in this place. “So
you’ve heard, I’m
in danger of losing the head to a stranger.”
Woods and streams, cliffs, the man snug in his bed, the sun
in his kitchen, are the minutiae of life which makes the man.
But
the message is beware: nature has an unforgiving heart, itself.
Nohoval also indicates the soaring range of Lucy’s voice.
His verbal dexterity should not be forgotten in the face of
his driving melodies or slower-paced tunes: Grey-Blue Eyes
shows his keen ear to combine lyrics with pace: “So glad
I asked you, twice, three times, thought we might have sweet
times.” In You Don’t Care, Lucy demonstrates an
ability to see a situation from multiple perspectives by singing
in a voice
dissimilar to his regular air.
Peace Will Come Again, evokes the English traditional music
of Damien Barber or Scotsman Bert Jansch. That is seriously
good company to keep and Lucy is not out of place with them.
His understated humour (Peace will come only when ostriches
take to the wing), does not detract from the song’s serious
wish.
The return home is a classic element of this genre. Warm Salvation
describes the wanderer returning home and shows Lucy
at his best, neatly concluding and closing off a cyclical episode
in his life with reconciliation. If this shows the artist at
his
heights he is going through the motions on The Day that She
Comes which has a tendency to drift.