Restless heart of rock

SHE might have written Only A Woman's Heart, but deep within Eleanor McEvoy there beats the restless spirit of the rock n roller. At the Temple Bar Music Centre last, night, Ms McEvoy launched her second CD, What's Following Me?, before a small but devoted audience, and she" chased the dragon of rock n roll till it yielded some measure of healing.

Since switching from Geffen to Columbia Records, Eleanor McEvoy seems determined to leave behind the implied passivity of Ireland's easy listening ladies, preferring to deal with love and loss in a more aggressive, guitar driven manner. Her band is a classic four piece rock combo, with brother Kieran McEvoy on guitar, Jim Tate on bass and Lloyd Byrne on drums, and Eleanor handles the multifarious duties of guitar, violin and keyboards with the expertise of a journeywoman.

Strangely, however, it's the slower, more ballad like songs on her new album which really strike a chord, and often the straight ahead rockers seem to get lost down a narrow, well worn path. Sleepless is a superbly moody admonishment to an absent ex lover, while My Own Sweet Bed Tonight is a soft, subtle rejection of the easy emotional option. She brings her full range of feelings together on All That Surrounds Me, wrapping her violin and vocals around a very evocative tune.

Contrast these atmospheric set pieces with such one dimensional pop fodder as Biochem is try and Weatherman (Twelve Days) and it's plain to see that Eleanor McEvoy's real strengths emerge when she shows her vulnerability. Seems like her tough rocking, leather clad stance just can't hide the woman's heart which still flutters inside. The strongest rock tune came during the encore with Trapped Inside, the hand keeping the sound tightly locked in for maximum impact. On the other hand, the current single, Precious Little, got slightly lost on a loose keyboard based groove.

After this gig, Eleanor heads off to the States, where she has been given a "triple A" playlisting, i.e. Adult Album Alternative. On the strength of this show, however, she's still a safe alternative.