One of the founder members of Kila, Ronan takes on vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhran and shaker as well as having written all the songs here to show what a great all-rounder he is.
Play 90 second soundbite of 'Half Full' @ 'CD quality'
One of the founder members of Kila, Ronan takes on vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhran and shaker as well as having written all the songs here to show what a great all-rounder he is.
If you expected a work of tradition Irish music you'd be totally wrong; Ronan O Snodaigh opens up his heart and his head here with a brave and exciting take on nu-folk. Ronan's vocal style is massively emotional, powerful and expressive. Vocally he puts everything into his songs but never lets things get out of hand or indulgent. Musically, 'The Last Mile Home' is quite amazing; with everything providing a well balanced and beautifully atmospheric backdrop of acoustically biased instrumentation, there's a lot to take in but it's well worth the effort to look inside and let things unfold.
I'm not sure whether 'open season' has been declared within the Kila fold but there seem to be an awful lot of breakaway solo projects coming from the Kila camp right now. That's absolutely fine coz when you've got a band comprising some of the best and most influential musicians around, you're almost bound to get top notch solo works from the heart of the bigger beast. And so it is with Ronan O Snodaigh - 'The Last Mile Home' is a fantastic piece of work and should be well received by the Kila loyal and any other discerning folk-ists out there. Ronan cleverly balances instrumental input such that nothing ever sounds crowded but, by the same token, nothing ever feels too hollow either - the result is intoxicatingly relaxing yet inspirationally exciting - a real piece of folk experimentation I suppose. I liken Kila and its breakaway units (solo endeavours) to the inspirational work of the great Alan Stivell; the taking of traditional elements and instruments and fusing them with modern instruments, modern sounds and modern ideas whilst actually holding firm within the traditional form.
'The Last Mile Home' by Ronan O Snodaigh is simply brilliant! This is a solo work of some distinction, a piece of modern 'folk' that calls heavily on traditional folk roots but takes on an endearing and persuasive feel of modern folk-rock - it's a beautiful coming together, an inspired fusion, a brave but successful melding. 'The Last Mile Home' by Ronan O Snodaigh is a pleasure to behold, a real gem, solid gold!!
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