9

A sound of the summer.

Damien Rice’s loss in the wider world’s gain as Lisa Hannigan has broken free from the backing band for his O and 9 albums to unleash her own material. ‘I Don’t Know’ is not a million miles away from the material that placed Rice where he is today, unsurprising given that Hannigan was a collaborator on the material but it has enough charm of its own. The album has been kicking about in Ireland for a good period of time but it seems as though things are now starting to take place in mainland Britain and this song is a good indicator of why.

Its a charmingly bright and light song that doesn’t take up too much of your time but has enough brass instrumentation to stand out. It really does capture the sense of summer with the sun fading as night time descends, you could picture it being used on a cider advert. Hannigan has a lovely voice that will immediately put the listener at ease with her accent shining through.

As an introduction to the artist, it is a welcome one and definitely one that will have a listener wanting more. There have been a lot of similar artists making their way in recent times so the album will have to be dissected before a decision is made if Hannigan can really cut it but the early indications are good.