THE PRESS
The Evening Echo.
THE
HOT PRESS :
A Singer/songwriter in the troubadour tradition, with a sharp wit and a neat handle on the more unsavory aspects of Irish small-town life, Peter O'Malley sings with an engagingly raspy voice and can spin a wicked phrase or two.
Unfortunately some fine songs and performances are marred by unsympathetic arrangements and production on this short collection -33 minutes - which is a shame as , given the right treatment, he could break through to a much wider audience . That said there are enough near -gems on BEYOND THE PALE to justify investigation.
NAUGHTY BUT NICE , is undeniably brilliant and wouldn't sound out of place on any recent Dire STRAITS album. His sparse reading of Bill Monroe's Walking in Jerusalem with it's economical acoustic guitar accompaniment , showcases his vocal strengths perfectly and Denmark Street and Promised Land are equally promising , if a little overwhelmed by the backing band. The demon drink crops up in seven out of ten songs on the album which gives a fair hint of where he is coming from. Poitin is actually J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" with words by O'Malley done in a Billy Connolly style rant : "There's a rat on the mat - poitin/ When your as blind as a bat - poitin ". Funny when heard for the first time but doesn't bear up to repeated listening ."Off the Jar" has a splendid line: "Went to the barber he said my head was bald / Went to the mortician he said my heart was cold / Went the bookie he said my horse was dead / Then I got up - I should've stayed in bed ." Eat your heart out Shane McGowan .
"Beyond the Pale " is not for the squeamish - or the teetotalers for that matter -and although slightly unfocused , it can only hint at better things to come.
>Colm O'Hare. The Hot Press.<
CATCH THE KING OF COMEDY AT NESTORS (NOW MOVED TO DOLANDS at THE DOCK ROAD).
The Peter O'Malley Comedy Experience can be enjoyed Monday nights at Dolands. The talented Peter O'Malley is a comic and music genius in a league of his own. Peter's right hand man is James Hanley who accompanies Peter on the keyboard , together they form an extremely popular duo. Peter is an extremly gifted songwriter , playing many of his own compositions such as , Denmark Street and The Promised Land. The Album is on sale in Empire music.
THE LIMERICK POST :
Peter O'Malley , whose talents have yet to be unleashed on the U.S. , is a singer/songwriter in the Dalyan mold with a gravel voice and amazing sence of humor bordering on the absurd. Live he casigates sacred cows one after another and keeps audiences rolling in the isles. His album Beyond The Pale " mixes a wicked humor with serious social comment.... a devastatingly successful combination..
THE ZASSAFRAS MUSIC NEWS. (U.S.A.)
Last Updated January 20, 1999 by
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