David Hope: Scarecrow

A west of Ireland native who is big in Switzerland but sounds like he was raised on Americana in a dusty Nashville dive bar – it must be confusing to be David Hope, but the mop-topped Clare man's methodology is paradoxically straightforward. These are mostly simple songs. Hope's husky growl proves most effective on the clutch of unembellished, finger-picked folk tunes such as Flow , while the intricate banjo-playing on See the Ghost is thoroughly enjoyable. The more vigorous full band affairs ( Fall and Rise and Hell or High Water ) are a little less convincing, and several songs underscore Hope's tendency to become bogged down in formulaic country-rock. Still, there is plenty for fans of the genre to admire amid the sunny strum of Daybreak Someplace and the tenuous, bluesy stalk of the title track.
Davidhope.ie Download: See the Ghost, Flow