Inner City Dogs

Niall O`Shea Inner City Dogs Angela Macari O`Looney Niall O`Shea`s debut album Inner City Dogs, launched in September 2010 is a varied collection of songs, written from his experiences travelling around the world. Ten enjoyable tracks combine an interesting cross part of genres and influences. Niall`s amazing guitar technique whether on electric or acoustic is manifest of his love for the greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, U2 and many more.

It`s a memorable combination of Classic rock and Bluesy type numbers that make you on a sweet journey, with Niall and his band.Dogs Fast moving, with a catchy guitar riff intro and thumping drumbeat, this song involves stacks of chops and changes, with some exceptional guitar throughout and an excellent baseline. Niall reaches falsetto notes, his vocals quite interesting and his range impressive.Chrissy This is a pet of mine. It always reminds me of 80s bands like The Jam, the chorus really cheerful, with a sing-along quality and chord combinations delightful. Trumpet lifts the mood right up. Guitar is just perfect here too, particularly the wind into the choir which totally makes the figure in my opinion. I also know the chord riff just before the slow down for the middle eight. Harmony is delicious too in this upbeat melodic song, which ends on a wonderful jazz chord! You get so many surprises with each issue on this album. An elaborate acoustic guitar intro takes you into Red Horizon, with deep and percussion dramatic and a captivating melody line. Trumpet features big time here, played by Stefano Muscovic. Those riffs blasted out between each line add a terrific explosion of sound, with both cornet and Niall`s guitar blending beautifully. What a fabulous song and an outstanding arrangement!Van Morrison comes to listen when I see the introduction to Too Long with its happy tempo, sweet chord combinations and folksy feel. Fiddle adds a feeling of bohemian gypsy fun and is played by Cian Loughnane. A call for dancing around to, the line in the chorus here is extremely memorable. On Better Days which is one of the slower tracks, Niall has a little aid from Jennie Place Ryan who sings harmony in the chorus. This begins as an acoustic song, electric guitar gradually coming in late on. Soulful and easy going, it`s another top quality come from Niall, who seems to receive endless talent as an instrumentalist. Even the slower songs are very intricate, with loads going on throughout. Lead solos on electric guitar and also riveting trumpet are key features in No Water Flows. This fast rolling number has a contemporary look to it which I really like. It sounds like musicians having a really good time blending their instruments and putting yet another embellishment onto the call as it develops, speeding up then slowing down again. This makes the dog an exhilarating experience. Niall`s slightly gritty vocals lean towards Cold Play`s Chris Martin`s tone, but he has this superb way of creating variation with his part as if it`s an instrument in itself. If creating an impact on his listener is Niall`s motive, he definitely achieves this in this great debut album. Of the remaining songs it`s difficult to blame one favourite. Each is real special. Violin is spectacular on Alleyways, which is a delightful piece, with scores of lovely harmony filtered into the chorus. Warm Under the Sun is an unexpected injection of dense rock, with grunged up guitars and scores of deformation involved. It has a Wow effect, with a refrain that has a harmonic refrain, a scorching lead solo, thumping drums and a busy baseline. This is Old Grey Whistle test type stuff, which would be a trip down memory lane for aged rock connoisseurs. A love song All I take is a three four ballad, with descriptive lyrics, piercingly sweet violin and acoustic chords that would run any heart. Your smile as fresh as a tangerine/ the appreciation of your warm soft lips brings me to my knees.This is but one case of the poetical lyrics in this song.Sun Bleached Cans has an exotic rhythm, trickling guitar riffs and imaginative hooks throughout. Melody line is delicious too and Niall sounds like he thoroughly enjoys doing this number. Drums and percussion create a Latino beat, with the trumpet doing a Mexican riff that`s utterly beautiful. I see a couple doing a seductive dance on a beach in the moonlight. A great escape from the wintertime blues, it`s a great option for the last to an entertaining show! Other performers on Inner City Dogs include Nicole Hudson-Strings, Johnny Boyle Jnr.Drums/Percussion, Q (Colm Quearney)Bass/Harmonium/Organ/Piano/Handclaps. The album was written over a point of years, with service on the output end of things coming from Q. The cover art is in Black and White and depicts the man himself seated on a tiled sidewalk outside a high rise block of flats, with a standard lamp and a plant strategically placed to have the notion that this may as easily be his sitting room. Quirky! Like a wind at what you can look inside this CD, with its unexpected twists and turns.