HOZIER plays the Phoenix October 28 and Massey Hall March 2. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Born and bred in Ireland, singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne, aka Hozier, draws on music from the American South: blues, soul, gospel and Southern rock. But he’s got an Irish poet’s turn of phrase (just listen to the first few lines of album opener Take Me To Church), and all kinds of lust, guilt and anti-religious sentiment swirl around to spice up his darkly romantic, bluntly sexual debut album.
The seven songs from his two existing EPs (he left one track out) are consistently strong and weighty, while the six new ones vary just a little. Blues-rocky single Jackie And Wilson seems like radio-friendly filler. On the other hand, Celtic-tinged folk duet In A Week with Karen Cowley strips back instrumentation and focuses instead on pretty harmonies.
The more steeped Hozier gets in Southern influence the better: slow, hymnal Work Song disguises a love ballad as a spiritual to blissful effect, a perfect showcase for his rich, resonant alto.
Top track: Work Song
