Paul O'Brien - Walk Back Home (2009) [Hi-Res]

Paul O'Brien is a songwriter with deep roots and broad horizons. An English-born child of Irish immigrants now living in British Columbia, he cut his teeth on Irish music. His musical roots, his experiences as an immigrant, musician and teacher, his natural instinct for humour and storytelling, and his empathy for the underdog have combined to produce an insightful and entertaining artist.

The likes of Paul O’Brien, the British artist of Irish stock has covered a remarkable musical waterfront. Now he has reached Stockfisch-grade maturity. O’Brien is a courageous man. And courage it takes to leave everything behind and start a new life on Canada’s most western shores - a life in which music was initially no longer meant to play a vital part.

But an artist cannot get away from art easily. What does that mean? Paul O’Brien will tell you in "He Can Dance", a song about an artist who can dream and dance.

Dream and dance can change reality, they can transcend it – just like faith ("Romero", a song about a bishop who changed his world). This song features a children’s choir. Up-tempo songs begin and end a performance offering an eclectic best of folk, country and jazz.

Children that grow up. Old people who don’t understand today’s world while making it a better place without even realizing it. Giving and receiving: "Don’t try and understand it, let it lead you through your life." This is the way a singer looks at the world, a singer whose broad shoulders are home to a sensitive soul.

Walk back home. "Wohin gehen wir? – Immer nach Hause." (In the words of the German Romantic poet Novalis: Where are we bound for – always for home.)

Collective pub-consciousness (pardon the pun): Hands clapping, fireworks – that’s the state this music will leave you in.