A labour of love, twenty years in the making from renowned Irish singer-songwriter.
It is more than twenty years since Mick Flannery released his debut album Evening Train, but the tale it told of (as he puts it) “love, lust, gambling, and a faithful betrayal” has obviously preyed on his mind as he has carved out a feted musical career. Now he has reworked the songs from that record and added ten new ones into an album which accompanies a stage production. The House Must Win has already played to 17,000 people in Ireland over a five-week run. This could be termed the soundtrack album, and Flannery has clearly poured his heart and soul into it.
He has gathered a stellar cast of musicians and guest artists for the recording, including Anais Mitchell, Jenn Grand, Lisa Hannigan and others on vocals, as well as sundry Flannerys. The top-class Irish band comprises Matthew Berrill (reeds), Killian Browne (piano, banjo, harmonium), Niamh Varian Barry (violin/viola), Dan Bodwell (double bass) and Dominic Mullan (drums). Arrangements (and there is a lot to arrange on this album) and orchestrations were by Liam Robinson, who also plays and sings on the record.
As you might imagine for a stage production, this is a record which follows a linear narrative path through its 20 tracks. There is plenty to unpack here, and it needs several listens to take it all in. Initially it almost seems too dense to process, but gradually it reveals its pleasures, and then you really appreciate the craft and feeling with which Flannery has imbued the saga of Irish life he describes. This is absolutely not background music, and the songs really work as an organic whole which you need to absorb from start to finish. It has been described as Flannery’s Black Rider album, and one can see the Tom Waits influence here in the shifting vocal moods, the abundant and varied instrumentation, and the willingness to see life through the protagonists’ eyes.
So what’s the story? Best to let Flannery summarise it. He says: “These songs are intended to illustrate a small-town story. Two brothers, alike in many ways but contrasted in the paths they choose, are both in love with the same girl, Grace. Though Grace chose the younger, wilder of the two brothers, her time with him is losing its appeal. And as the older, steadier brother begins planning his escape from their small lives, she finds herself drawn closer to him. The story tells of pressures from past and present bearing down on the younger generation, forcing them into risky decisions. For Grace, her father Ray is a controlling force, intent on marrying her off in pursuit of higher social standing. For the brothers, Frank and Luther, the memory of their absconded father hangs over them both. Neither would like to admit how much they resemble him, yet each finds themselves capable of bringing his ghost back to life.”
The record kicks off with three quite subdued and melancholy duets featuring Jenn Grant on Creak in the Door, Anais Mitchell on Rising Tide, and Yvonne Daly on When I’ve Got a Dollar with strings prominent. We then move on to the banjo-led Take it on the Chin, on which the Waitsian influence is most evident while telling the tale of a macho poker game. Some almost classical piano takes us into another mournful and melodic duet, Grace’s Waltz, with Lisa Hannigan. The sweary and beery Tripping O’er His Trousers, featuring the Flannery brothers, shines the light on small town life: “In this town if you’ve a secret/You’d do very well to keep it/Some scoundrel’s bound to speak it”.
The Tender is more of a declamatory stomp: “The only spirits here are hangin’ off the wall/Yeah, you know as well as I do, that we don’t serve up cheer“. Flannery’s fine and emotive vocals come to the fore on Bonnie Rogue and on Talk to Me. Grace, through the vocals of Tabitha Smyth, sings on I’ll Be Out Here of trying to move on from love: “If you want me I’ll be out here dancing“.
The title track conveys the central premise of the musical; the powerful do what is necessary to prevail. The Rebel has the gambler trying to convince Grace to forgive his failings, but she realises she needs to shake him off. One Chance is a haunting duet between Yvonne Daly and MaryBeth O’Mahony, with ominous percussive backing: “Girleen, you get one chance, to tell this world/You’re not afraid of it“.
Flannery is at his most plaintive and affecting on In the Gutter as he pleads to his lover to take him back: “And the more I try to get things right/The less they go as planned, oh man, oh man”. Let Me Be is a powerful mix of stomp, soul and half-spoken verse. All In returns us to the drama of another poker game and is perhaps the most purely theatrical track on the record, with plucked strings, spoken lyrics in the verses before moving into the swelling chorus: “All in, blind faith/love leaving on the last train“. Ride On is another brief visit to Waits country. The album concludes with Flannery backed by a swelling female chorus rueing how things have turned out despite his best efforts: “On those who love you, boy, never turn your back“.
So, as mentioned, a lot to absorb on this record. It could be seen as a rather miserable Irish story of troubled love, troubled families, troubled addictions, and bad choices, and it is certainly not a cheery tale. However, the commitment, soul, and skill of Mick Flannery and all those involved make it a very compelling piece of music and drama. There is so much going on lyrically, instrumentally, vocally and emotionally, that one finds oneself dragged in. There are great tunes in here, but they emerge only with full engagement. This will not be for everyone, but those prepared to give it the attention it deserves will be richly rewarded. And if the stage production crosses the Irish Sea, it will undoubtedly be worth getting a ticket. It would be fascinating to hear this music in the context for which it was written.
