Michael James Keane – Wandering Bull (Meow)

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Michael James Keane, self-proclaimed singer, songwriter and stonemason, unveils his second album, Wandering Bull.

Anyone who has heard Keane’s deep, rich voice will remember it in the way one remembers Nick Cave, Stuart Staples or John Cale.

Keane is a Wellington lad and this, his follow up to 2018’s The Cascade, was recorded at The Surgery, recorded and produced by James Goldsmith and aided and abetted by  Daniel Cuzens (lap steel), Callum Gay (drums), Symon Palmer (bass), backing vocalists Harriet Ferro and Julia Catherine-Parr and a string section consisting of Sofii Matthews (violin), Grant Butler (viola) and Ruby Solly (cello)

Producer Goldsmith, who also plays various synths, uses the players sparingly, focusing on Keane’s songs, or more specifically his words which sound like poems set to music.

Traditional song structures…choruses,  verses,  bridges, etc…are abandoned in service of the lyrics and Keane’s sonorous voice.

Michael James KeaneOpening track, Love Far From Home, finds the singer encouraging the listener to “face the drone”.

“Great wear, hit the road”…growls Keane. In other words, listener,  beware.

This is not the feel-good album of the year, but let’s face it, 2022 hasn’t really turned out to be that kind of year.

Third track, God, had me thinking about John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band album. While Keane refrains from any primal screaming, he does dig deep into his own psyche.

“There’s God and there’s me” he claims on In Life, “all bad things come in waves, two funerals in a week then none for a year”.

So, you can keep your dancing shoes in the closet for this set of songs. If there is to be any dancing at all, it will be very slow, very close and there will most likely be tears.

If this still sounds like your cup of tea, then dip in, as the production is beautifully nuanced and the performances, both by Keane, and his accompanists, are note perfect.

I get the feeling that Michael James Keane writes and records these song/poems for himself. If you’re along for the ride, then so be it.

Wandering Bull won’t get your party started, but it’s a perfect way to end it.

Marty Duda

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Marty Duda
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