Marc O'Reilly - Human Herdings

Waterford man, Marc O’Reilly returns with his second album, "Human Herdings", 3 years after his critically acclaimed debut release “My Friend Marx”.

The opening track "Same Side" begins with some brilliant guitar work accompanied by a sombre vocal delivery and then builds into a crescendo of pure awesomeness.

“Lighthouse" features guitar playing reminiscent of Van Morrison on the fantastic "Astral Weeks” album.

The third track, “Reach Out” is a spectacular display of what Marc is capable of and is the most bluesy song on the album and also quite possibly the best. The blues rock genre seems to be flourishing in Munster at the minute.

“Letting Go” is a heart wrenching tale told in Marc’s imitable eerie gravelly vocals. Clocking in at just over 4 minutes, this is the second longest track on a very short album.

Marc O”Reilly has a voice that could easily draw comparisons with that of Ray Lamontagne. This is particularly prevalent on the albums closer “Fallen”.

“Human Herdings" transcends genres, jumping from folk to blues and back again which makes it even more exciting to listen to as you don’t know what to expect next. The only problem with this album is that its just too short at a mere 32 minutes long.

Marc O’Reilly is a name that you will be hearing more and more of in the near future. He has just completed a few tour dates in Ireland and is about to embark on a 7 date UK tour in April.

Standout Tracks: Same Side, Reach Out and Fallen (although, in reality, any of the songs could have made this list.)

By: Dave McMahon

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