Michael J. Sheehy – Ill Gotten Gains (CD-albumi)

Upon first listen Ill Gotten Gains conjures to mind ruined images of America's heartland: broken-down shacks on Route 66, tumbleweeds blowing across the Oklahoma plain. One of the most remarkable aspects to Michael J. Sheehy, who is from Ireland incidentally, is his voice; it's what Chris Isaak would sound like if he cavorted with normal people on beaches rather than supermodels. He sings like one of the lost early soul voices on Moby's Play, and his take on Elvis Presley's "Mystery Train" may very well have been influenced by the bald one himself. The fuzzy guitars and vocal distortions on "Michael JNR" and "Wha'cha Gonna Do?" play as if they were written for Shirley Manson and Garbage. Appropriately enough the album closes with "Let It Be Love This Time," a postmodern hymn of sorts where God has been replaced by sex and we pray to the light of love in hopes that it will give our lives meaning. Sheehy might not have yet found a new God but that doesn't mean Ill Gotten Gains is without soul. Fave tracks: "No One Recognised Him," "Mystery Train," "Let It Be Love This Time."

Kappaleet

1. Sweet Blue Gene 3:56
2. Mystery Train 4:18
3. No One Recognised Him 4:00
4. Some People Love To Get Hurt 4:13
5. Michael JNR 4:39
6. Love Insane 5:34
7. Just a Word 4:18
8. Tired Old Love Song 4:23
9. Wha'cha Gonna Do? 3:40
10. Black Hole Is Waiting (Baby Let's Go) 5:12
11. Let It Be Love This Time 5:01