Kaurna Cronin “Euphoria, Delirium and Loneliness” (Songs and Whispers, 2017)

Kaurna Cronin is a youthful Australian singer-songwriter. His bio attests to a number of Antipodean folk awards won, yet this, his third album, is very much an exercise in subtle guitar pop/rock. Cronin has a polite airy voice, perhaps reminiscent of the mighty Paddy McAloon, but not quite emulating the lyrical sharpness of the man. Not to say that Cronin isn’t lyrically astute though – there’s not too many clichés in his words, which are the saving grace of this record. The ten songs do largely fall into the cited folk tradition of story-telling and he paints detailed pictures of his characters, their situations and their woes.

Unfortunately the album as a musical whole is a little ‘safe’ though. There’s little in the way of urgency and the overall sound doesn’t do justice to Cronin’s writing. Should a 24-year-old display bit more anger? A bit more musical fire?  There’s a certain ‘Coldplay-ness’ about the record as a whole, which can’t be a good thing. Perhaps that’s just a matter of opinion. A Different Side To You comes closest to springing into action – rockabilly/surf guitar and pounding drums drive the song along very nicely as Cronin tells us of a duplicitous, manipulative lover. To give the youngster due credit, his cover of It’s a Heartache, closing the record, improves on the original significantly (sorry Bonnie Tyler fans, if any of you are reading this). It’s a more subtle yet still dynamic interpretation.

6/10
6/10

Summary

Young Aussie folkster shows lyrical skill, but ultimately loses his cutting edge within uninspiring guitar pop sound.

About Mark Nenadic 107 Articles
Quite likes music. Doesn't really like people. From The North. Exiled in The Midlands due to radical views on whippets/flat caps. Beards and plaid shirts belong on Willie Nelson. Everybody else should smarten up a bit ..
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments