Sitting with approximately 1000 Youtube views on the 13th of January the video exploded in popularity following airplay on a national irish radio station and now sits on circa 200,000 views and growing thanks to continued radio airplay and it’s popularity on Twitter. Jamie has since performed on RTE’s The Late Late Show on 28th January where he received an amazing response.

Originally planned for release on Jamie’s next album later in the year, the song’s popularity forced him to record it as a single for immediate release where it went straight to Number 1 on the irish iTunes chart and number 3 in the official Irish Singles Chart.

Declan O’Rourke used to be one of Ireland’s best kept secrets, but rave reviews for his debut album ‘Since Kyabram’, a growing international fanbase and an enviable collection of eminent devotees, including Paul Weller, Snow Patrol and Kate Rusby, are rapidly changing that.

On its release in Ireland, ‘Since Kyabram’ reached double platinum status and garnered Hot Press magazine’s ‘Best Debut Album’ award. A major record deal with V2 and a publishing deal with BMG followed, as did patronage from his peers – invitations to support Snow Patrol at Marlay Park in Dublin, Teddy Thompson on his UK tour, The Divine Comedy for dates in Germany and the U.K., and to perform at the legendary 100 Club at the request of Paul Weller.

The buzz is growing, based on the simplicity of great songs and a unique voice. Declan’s lyrics touch on all aspects of the individual, his songs focus on the centre of everyday emotions and his voice irresistibly draws the listener in. He has an understated charm, a quick-wittedness that make him highly endearing live and equally at home playing to one person as he is to thousands.

From the opening melody of ‘No Place To Hide’, the first song on ‘Since Kyabram’, to the final key of ‘Marrying The Sea’, Declan’s ability to tell a story unfolds. Each track on the album gives a feeling of being part of a collection of short films; the connecting thread being Declan’s flowing and dreamy lyrics. The album embodies the roots of his Irish heritage, but also has a distinct rock edge, reflecting, in part, his time spent in Australia from age fourteen to his return to Ireland in the year 2000.

Clive Barnes

The Ghost Country is the sound of Clive Barnes at the top of his game as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. His fourth studio album, The Ghost Country elevates Barnes to a truly unique sound having forged his style and delivery over years of touring the US and Europe with the likes of Eric Bibb, Taj Mahal, Jeff Beck, Alison Krauss, Seasick Steve, The Blind Boys of Alabama and many more.

As a musician, Barnes is highly regarded as one of the finest performers on the roots circuit, a reputation solidified by the lyrical and songwriting prowess on this new collection of songs. From the rip-roaring banjo-fuelled opener of Shotgun Grin to the big sky foreboding title track of the album, right through to the closing track of Borderlines, this recording is populated with stories of characters running and returning, longing and dreaming, down on their luck and finally finding peace, characters so thick with realism you could feel them move right through you.

Out of the studio and onto the stage, Barnes is not to be missed as a live performer for this is where the sheer raw honesty and energy is each track comes to life.

RTE’s Harry Guiren noted in a review of Clive Barnes performing at Vicar Street, Dublin, “Clive is
a guitarist who can make one acoustic sound like six. Barnes transported the entire, hushed venue across the Atlantic to where the paths taken by the Delta Blues, Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen all led to his own special territory.”

The Ghost Country is available to buy now in all good record stores and online via iTunes, Amazon, eMusic and CliveBarnesMusic.com

Luan Parle

Luán Parle is quite simply one of the most exciting singers to emerge from Ireland, or any other country for that matter,” The Evening Herald
From the opening bars of her latest single Why Baby Why, it’s obvious that Luán Parle is ready for her close up.

She’s come a long way since performing her own composition on The Late Late Toy Show aged 10; nabbing her first record deal at 12 (two wise parents insisting their little girl finish school first though); picking up a Meteor Best Irish Female Artist award in 2007 just as her debut album, Free, stormed up the Irish charts; hitting the Top 10 with her fittingly haunting single, Ghost, one of the biggest selling single by an Irish artist in 2008 and picking up Taltler Music Women of the Year.

Along the way, Parle has taken the rough with the smooth, the major label mishandling along with the ever-growing fanbase and the burgeoning critical acclaim.
Through it all, Luán has been honing her craft, becoming one of the finest live acts around – when, that is, she isn’t buried in a studio in LA, or London, or her native Wicklow, working alongside such music legends as Chris Kimsey (The Rolling Stones, INXS), and Bill Bottrell (Sheryl Crowe, Michael Jackson).

Yep, Luán Parle knows what she wants, and she now knows how to get it. You can almost taste that devilish drive and the steely determination in her new album, The Full Circle, as this 27-year old singer/songwriter steps off the ropes to deliver that sucker punch.
With The Full Circle, Luán is finally grabbing the wheel, taking control not only of the record’s release (releasing it through her own label LPR Records), but also it’s production, working alongside Gavin Ralston and the legendary Bill Bottrell..

Why Baby Why holds a very special place in Luán’s heart, being the first song she and Bill wrote and recorded during a 9-month session back in 2006, in California’s Mendocino. The hope is that, as the dust settles on an old contract, those earlier recordings will now surface in full. One major fan of that earlier session was the late Michael Jackson, who, just before his untimely death, had planned on recording his own version of Why Baby Why.

Other collaborations include Niall Breslin (The Blizzards) and Hal Lindes (Dire Straits). Helping pull it all together was the great Gavin Ralston, Luan’s longtime collaborator.
Like all great artists, Luán Parle defies categorisation. Let’s just say, she’s got soul. Her music manages to encompass Aretha, Ray, Cash, Waits, Erykah, and whatever you’re having yourself, and yet still sound unique. Maybe it’s all down to that Irish heartbeat.

Is it possible to be a music veteran at 27? Well, if you’re Luán Parle, it is. Let’s not forget, this journey began 20 years ago, when Luan entered her first talent contest. That wide-eyed little 7-year old girl knew then that music was going to be her everything. She was right. And she’s now got the hit records and the sell-out shows to prove it.

And as much as that journey has all been leading to The Full Circle, Luán Parle also knows that she is in this for the long haul. You can hear it in her music. It’s timeless. It’s heartfelt. And it’s going to leave you reeling…