Michael J. Sheehy
No Longer My Concern
Beggars Banquet
I must give Michael J. Sheehy credit for stepping up to the plate and opening for Peter Murphy on the latter’s last tour. Seeing him in Miami faced with a thousand Bauhaus-worshipping goth old timers and whippersnappers, Sheehy quietly, yet confidently delivered his blues-folk one-man show in the face of indifference and adversity.
And that simplistic, yet ethereal show doesn’t deviate much from the music on this latest LP. Subtle percussive elements, organs and cellos swirl underneath the acoustic guitars and Sheehy’s fragile, yet determined crooning. Heartbreak, religion, sin and various other moody lyrical elements comprise a record that would be a mainstay in opium dens, low-lit pubs and other locales where one can appreciate this great soundtrack to dwell in their sorrows.
Songs like “Teardrop Time” and the closing “Twisted Little Man” cry out melancholy and regret, leaving one to wonder how much baggage Sheehy carries in reality. My guess is plenty, and we’re all the better for it. Not for shiny, happy people, but those with a broken spirit who could use a little sympathy.
Beggars Banquet: http://www.beggars.com
