Paul Brady – Oh What A World

It’s nearly impossible to reconcile Paul Brady’s long career outside of his native Ireland, where he’s been a household name since the mid-’60s as a member of legendary traditional Irish groups the Johnstons and Planxty. Brady went solo and turned toward the poppier end of the spectrum with 1981’s Hard Station, a momentous change in direction.

After a decade and a handful of similarly toned albums, Brady’s biggest pop break came through Bonnie Raitt, who recorded two of his songs, including the title track of her 1991 smash Luck Of The Draw. Others have since discovered his musical gifts and interpreted his songs, with his own career getting something of a boost.

Oh What A World, his first album since 1995’s Spirits Colliding, continues in its predecessors’ path as another fine blend of Irish folk tradition and contemporary pop classicism, with jolts of R&B, soul, and rock. The only shift here is the use of songwriting collaborators (including Carole King, Will Jennings and Gary Nicholson), which becomes less an issue once Brady puts his indelible stamp on the song.

Brady’s grasp of the rapture of love, the despair of loss, and the tumult in-between informs every song. As with the similarly gifted John Hiatt, whose career has followed a similar path, Brady’s songwriting has freed him to follow his muse. What a wonderful freedom he has made of it.