Eoin Shannon – Hello Forever (Album Review)

Today’s review is for Hello Forever, the new album by Eoin Shannon. Eoin is an Ireland/Cork based singer/songwriter. Larry Magee created the music and produced this album. The song Dark November features music by Andrei Sorokin. Eoin wrote lyrics to 10 of the songs on the album and is singing on all of the songs. So let’s dig in!

You can find this album on Spotify.

Right away the first song I’d Have Grabbed You a Chair hits with a nice guitar fingerpicking motif followed by a strong male Irish voice, eventually joined by a reverb-drenched female voice. The song paints a nice picture, like the front cover of this interesting album. The song gets a little monotonous after a while, I would have thrown in a bridge at some point. But sonically, it sounds glorious.

The second song Come Down to the River has a very religious folk vibe. Nice drone sound from the cello and other instruments. It is very much in the classic gospel folk genre. Talking about cleansing souls and the devil.

Hello Forever starts with what sounds like a flute, epic, very Celtic vibe. The voice makes the listener by into the Celtic sound especially when joined by the female background singer. I really like the guitar strum here.

Everybody Got Crazy in Them starts off with a sizzling lead guitar riff. But the male and female vocals and chord progression bring this back into the folk genre. I do like the lead guitar, nicely done. This one has a nice chorus and a Texas red-dirt folk kind of feel.

Followed closely by another song about the Devil – Dear Daddy. Apparently the songwriter is fixated on this devilish theme. The song has some nice acoustic guitar lead lines, and Eoin’s voice has a drone-type feel about it. Again this song is in the Texas red-dirt folk camp of sounds.

A lonely piano kicks off the next song nicely. Maybe they should have edited out the unnecessary mic noise before the first vocal kicks in? This song is about soul torture but resolves to a nice male and female vocal chorus. The backing vocals really sound lovely in this heartfelt song. They have included a “jazzy version” of this song as the last song on the album.

Sitting by the Fire kicks off with Eoin’s droning voice over a nice acoustic instrument vibe, maybe a banjo or mandolin, singing out to his whiskey, eventually the song hits the chorus and the female singer joins in. I find the male voice interesting in that it definitely feels like a drone instrument more so than a normal voice. Maybe it’s because of the way the lyrics flow. Nice.

The next song Night Is Dark starts out with a strong acoustic guitar riff. Most of the songs on this album are “dark” both sonically and in their mystical lyrics. The words draw you into the mix. The female vocal in this song is really nice. I did not like the bridge in this song, the male voice was too far back in the mix, but it drops back ever present after the bridge through the end of the song. Again the droning nature of the male voice creates a very nice folk vibe. Celtic folk vibe.

I have noticed that I am using the word “vibe” way too much in this review! LOL. But the male voice and the instrumentation really do create quite the sonic atmosphere: very Celtic, sometimes red-dirt, very heartfelt vocals. If you like that sort of thing, and I do. If you do, check out this album!

The ninth song Gambling Again, starts off with a nice fiddle in a lower register. Another song about the devil, “my soul is an easy steal.” LOL. Too much gambling going on in this song. But again, this song fits the “vibe” of the album. Very low key and pleasant. Nice mixing, mastering, production.

I Need My Pain kicks off with piano and a flute, quickly joined by Eoin’s deep male voice. This song has a swirling vibe, there’s that word again! Maybe it’s just the way the song is mixed and the interesting instrumentation choices. I really like the bridge in this song. The flute adds a nice character to this song. “I know it sounds insane, but I need my pain.”

The eleventh song on the album is titled Dark November. The song has more of a classical feel with an arpeggiated acoustic guitar creating the song’s vibe. Oh my what has gotten in to me? LOL. But this album is all about that “vibe.” I like the shifting chord pattern throughout this song. And as a guitarist, I really appreciate the tasteful lead guitar solo in the middle. The talking vocals after the solo could be louder. But a nice song.

The last song on the album is listed as a “Jazzy Version” of the prior song Dream of You Tonight. This song is a great way to close out the album. It brings in the piano, flute, a strong acoustic guitar, the tasty lead guitar, and both vocalists like a dramatic conclusion to this tastefully produced Celtic, but modern, folk album.

SCORE/Excellent: This album is all about the “vibe” and this album has it in spades. The droning male voice and instrumentation scream out Celtic highland. If you dig that kind of modern Celtic folk sound, with very tasteful production, you’ll dig this album! Much love, Beth

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