A WICKLOW man, a Brummie, or Coventry kid, it’s not that easy to pin a label on Birmingham based singer songwriter Rich McMahon.
If you have caught McMahon live recently, some of the tracks on his new album Songs of Excile, Love and Decent will be familiar, The Imagined Nation or Inbetweenland have been tried and tested in his recent Beyond Borders tour.
Mixed with new material like My Beautiful Broken Guitar and Ten Thousand Miles from Dublin the album gives you a series of strong stories from the perspective of those who have experienced and been touched by emigration. Tracks such as A Mothers Lament and the Barman’s Tale capture emotional experiences well.
A departure from his previous live album, McMahon has teamed up with producer Gerry Diver who has worked with Damian Dempsey and Christie Moore in the past.
Diver plays guitar, strings and percussion on the album along with cellist Jenny Grove and backing vocals from McMahon’s sister Sam. Influences from Bob Dylan, Divine Comedy and Christie Moore are evident, but like Joyce’s Dubliners it is the strength of the characters in his songs that shine through and give this album depth.
To mark the release Rich will be performing a special album launch show at the Kitchen Garden café in Kingsheath, Birmingham on Saturday March 8.
Songs of Exile, Love and Dissent is released on March 9. More information can be found at www.richmcmahon.com
