Whatever Gets You on the Radio

Irish street busker turned recording artist Paddy Casey returns to his roots on this six-song promotional EP recorded for The Columbia Records Radio Hour on July 10, 2000. He accompanies himself on an acoustic guitar, strumming heavily as he might out on a street corner, but his songs unadorned come off as even slighter and less distinguishable than they do in the more produced versions on his album Amen (So Be It). With his wheezy tenor, which recalls Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, Casey worries about pollution, prays for the future of a child, and ruminates about the vicissitudes of love, but despite frequently repeated choruses his melodies are relatively undeveloped, and he uses his guitar more for rhythmic accompaniment than real musical support. Those who are already fans may be interested to hear stripped down versions of his songs, but the more produced versions on the commercial release are more accessible.