Feargal Sharkey - Feargal Sharkey

"A Good Heart" was a big song in Canada back in '85. The single would sell 50,000 copies here, and the album itself would crack the top 20, but I don't think it sold enough to be certified. For me this would be the one and only time I heard the warbling Irishman on the radio.

After making his splash in the pool, there was no follow-up and in time Mr. Sharkey would be firmly relegated to the bin of one-hit wonders. It was an okay song, but honestly not one that resonated with me. Feargal was out of sight and out of mind, and he remained there. So it was a surprise when decades later it popped into my brain and I got curious. As it happened I found the album in a cheap bin and couldn't help myself. Which is the only way you can hear the album. His streaming footprint is surprisingly thin.

The album was produced by Dave Stewart who had co-produced Southern Accents with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and his own band's (The Eurythmics) Be Yourself Tonight. He was a busy guy and he was pretty much on top of the world.

Feargal Sharkey's album is interesting while also being pretty nondescript. It's his voice that makes and breaks the album. His vibrato sounds like it produced by quickly running your index finger up and down over your adam's apple. It's distinctive if not entirely pleasant sounding. Now, having said that it's what gives the album it's character.

"A Good Heart" truly is the centrepiece of the album. It's weird how some albums can open with a stellar song and maintain momentum, while others grind to a halt. I wouldn't say the album grinds to a halt, but it definitely struggles to keep going. The album never manages to capture the magic inherent in the album's lead off track, but it does manage to find a cruising speed that moves things along. It's not fast enough to get a ticket in a school zone, but it is like a lazy Sunday drive on a country road.

The album closes with an unusual cover of "It's All Over Now" a song made famous by The Rolling Stones that sort of grows on you with repeated spins. The album was an interesting listen and while it may seem like I was pretty ambivalent to it, it was enjoyable enough while it played.

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